


Heart of a Dragon

by Ocaj



Series: Heart of a Dragon series [1]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-19 06:50:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 78,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22573639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ocaj/pseuds/Ocaj
Summary: All is well when the Dragon Queen is reunited with her son. The battle is won, and the mission has come to an end. But what now? Rayla and Callum are unsure of what the future might bring them now that they are not on a mission anymore. But everyone soon discovers that even though the battle is won, the war is far from over... (a continuation from season 3)
Relationships: Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Series: Heart of a Dragon series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1624210
Comments: 23
Kudos: 87





	1. A word from the author

Chapter 1: Word from the author

Welcome dear reader,  
The story you are going to read is a work I am undertaking for various reasons, not the least of all; your enjoyment! I have enjoyed “The Dragonprince” tremendously and I loved the way the show and the relationship between Rayla and Callum specifically evolved. But what we’ve seen so far is but the start of a much greater adventure in the world of the Dragonprince! And this is a world we can explore…together.  
I am a writer of short stories and small works. I also run various Dungeons and Dragons games for which I’ve written hundreds of pages full of adventure. Though I have dreamt of writing a full novel, I find it hard to finish long works. This project was an attempt to rectify that. I would post a chapter each week for ten weeks total and see if I could keep up and create a wonderful story in the progress. Story wise, it was my intend to explore the story that comes after season 3’s finale. How will the elves, humans and dragons broker peace? What will Callum and Rayla do now that the main quest is over, and how will that affect their relationship? And what will Viren and Claudia do, now that they have lost all power and credibility in Katolis?  


Now, the project is finished, and I was advised I could also post it on Ao3. So, there you go. I do hope it finds a nice place on this website amongst all the other great works I've read here.   
So, without further ado, I present to you my fanfiction story of the Dragonprince: Heart of a Dragon. Enjoy!

Jaco ‘Ocaj’ Koster


	2. All Hail the dragon king

A comfortable and relieved silence hung in the great hall, as Zubeia, the dragon queen of Xadia, marvelled at the sight before her. Her son was alive, and an alliance of humans and elves was before her. No one wished to break the serene silence that reigned in the great hall. Queen Zubeia searched the party before her for any familiar faces. Her voice was strong and sympathetic as she spoke.

“I see many new faces, and… battle weary ones as well.” Her sight rested upon Ibis, her liaison with the elves. “Ah, Ibis, please tell me the truth. I’ve been away for some time now, haven’t I?”

Ibis bowed as his queen addressed him. “Yes your highness. You’ve been away for a little less than two weeks. May I say, you are looking much better?”

“I feel better Ibis. I feel… hopeful.” She said as her eyes shone with pride and joy while looking at her son. “But tell me, what has transpired?”

“Much has happened. Through ways unknown to me, these…” He gestured to Rayla, Callum and Ezran. “have returned your son to you, already hatched. They were followed by an army of humans, transformed by dark magic.”

Zubeia hissed at that and raised her head. Her eyes narrowed. “Dark Magic? Here!?” She rumbled, raising her voice which resonated in the chamber. The crowd before her looked fearful. She stopped though, when she saw Azymondias, her son, was frightened of her reaction. She immediately lowered her head to nuzzle Zym.

Ibis stepped forward to placate queen Zubeia. “Please be at ease your majesty! The armies were defeated by an alliance of elves, dragons and humans.” The crowd mumbled approvingly. Amaya and Janai squeezed each other’s hand, thinking with fondness of the strength they found fighting side by side.

Callum and Rayla simply leaned into each other, until Callum accidently poked himself with one of Rayla’s horns. “Auch!”

Rayla giggled. “Dummy…”

The queen scanned the crowd. “Have humans finally risen up against their own? Have they finally rid themselves of the taint that is dark magic?” She sniffed the air, then hissed. She put a paw protectively over Zym, who was dwarfed and caged by it. “I still smell death amongst you! I still smell darkness in their hearts!”

Her eyes scanned the crowd. The humans trembled at the sudden change, the elves looked confused at their new-found compatriots, but queen Aanya stepped forward. “Your Majesty. I am queen Aanya of Duren, and I can assure you that none of the humans present here would ever use dark magic! They fought for life! For the life of your son! They fought for peace!”

No one but Rayla noticed the pale look Callum had on his face, nor that he was shaking in his boots. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, but did not feel at ease herself.

The queen was silent for a while. The only sign of her relaxing was her releasing her paw from Zym, who flew into the air right away and landed on Ezran (who nearly toppled by the weight). “I am sorry humans. You must know I mean well. I too wish for peace. But so much was lost along the way.” Her voice cracked when she said. “My husband, my son….”

“We understand, your majesty,” queen Aanya continued. “Might I suggest we all get some rest. That we reconvene tomorrow, for then, together, we will discuss the future of all humans, dragons and elves.”

The dragon queen grunted approvingly. “Very well. Ibis, have you the strength to remain? I still have many questions.”

“Of course, your majesty.” He said as he bowed deeply. He also radiated happiness. His liege had returned to him and he was ready to serve her once more.

-/-/-/-

The crowd exited the hall. Queen Aanya, General Amaya and Janai of the Sunfire Elves all issued orders to their troops. Ezran held bait close to him for comfort as he listened to the translations of her friend Gren. “Make sure to have two guards for each prisoner! Arrange for transport to get the wounded back across the border as soon as possible.”

Janai was asked if it was possible to stop for help at Lux Aurea, but she responded that since humans were responsible for the corruption of the Sunforge, they would most likely rebel and attack at the sight of another human army. “Best to avoid them for now.” She said to Amaya with sympathy in her eyes. Gren translated for her. Amaya smiled sadly. It would mean a long and dangerous trek back to the border. Still, the Sunfire Elves under Janai’s command had promised to get them across the river of lava, so there was hope to reach home safety, which was more than they had in a while.

Rayla had pulled Callum with her in an alcove in the chamber before the great hall. They both sat down and leaned their heads against the wall. “Whew, we sure dodged an arrow there, didn’t we?” Rayla said trying to sound cheerful.

Callum was still pale. “I… think so? I didn’t realise that using Dark Magic once would still affect me.”

Rayla looked at him sadly. “Dark magic corrupts you, even if just a little.” She pressed herself against him, again nearly poking his eye out.

“Okay, this takes some getting used to.” Callum said with a nervous smile, as he tried to find a position where he could rest his head against hers without possibly fatal consequences.

She giggled, shaking her horns and causing Callum to back away from her. “Sorry.” She said sheepishly.

Callum grinned and grabbed her hand. “We’ll make it work, somehow.” When he said that, he saw Rayla’s smile falter ever so slightly. _She’s worried about something._ He thought.

But she simply said. “Yeah, we will.”

They had stayed there for a while, until Callum was called to help some of the other humans. When he returned, it was well and truly in the middle of the night. Callum expected sleeping together would be awkward. They had only just declared their love, but even though they were a ‘thing’, no boundaries had been set. He wasn’t sure what was proper, what she was expecting. However, the Storm Spire was crowded and when he found her asleep in a corner at the end of a very long day, he simply laid himself down next to her. He heard the murmur of soft voices, and sometimes, the soft rumble of the voice of the dragon queen. It was soothing.

Rayla shifted next to him. She sat up as she looked at him, not quite surprised that he had found his way to her. “Where are you going?” he whispered to her. She mouthed the word ‘chamber pot’ and made her way into a hallway. He laid down again as she disappeared, making a pillow for them out of his scarf. _So much has happened today. We won! But… what now?_ He didn’t know what to think of. Up until now, his mission had been clear. They had to deliver the egg, and later the dragon prince, back to his mom. And they succeeded. _So…what now?_ He sighed. He didn’t know what the future would bring, but, he thought just as Rayla rounded the corner and walked back to him, he would make sure that it included her. And as she smiled and pressed herself close to him (being very careful with the horns this time) he had the feeling she was having similar thoughts. Soon the last murmur of voices quieted and they both drifted in a blissful sleep.

-/-/-/-

The next morning food was brought in by various elves. Apparently, Ibis had arranged a hunting and gathering party together with some other elves who were familiar with the area. When Callum woke up, he noticed that there were more elves now, new faces. He quietly detached himself from Rayla, still fast asleep on his scarf, and made his way to Ezran who had already helped himself to a bowl of fruit.

“Hey Ez. How are you buddy?”

“Umgewd!” he exclaimed, holding up a large pink piece of fruit.

Bait scuttled under the table, having looted what looked like a large green vegetable. Callum was long used to Bait’s escapades, and ignored it. “Hey, do you know who these new elves are?”

Ezran shrugged. “Hawenobea.”

“Right…” He looked around. There were more Skywing Elves mostly, but also some Sunfire Elves he had not seen before. Then again, it’s not like he knew all the Sunfire Elves from the battle yesterday. “Well, just…be careful.”

Ezran finally swallowed his mouth-full. “Why? We won right? It’s over!”

“I know, it’s just…” but he couldn’t put it to words, and he didn’t want to offend any elves who overheard him. He just knew that not all the elves would view humans the way Rayla viewed them. But there was no point discussing it now, so he just grabbed a bowl and started piling up food. The elves that were at the table did the same thing, but when they saw Callum approach, they did stare a little, before continuing.

Callum made his way back to Rayla, who was only just now waking up. She yawned and stretched. “What’s all the fuss this morning? There are a lot more elves than there were yesterday!”

Callum shrugged. “Don’t know. But I’m sure it’ll be an exciting day for everyone!” He gave her the bowl with food. “Here, before you go ‘hangry’.” he said with a wink.

Rayla smiled. “Yeah, we wouldn’t want that, now would we?” She grabbed a long piece of green fruit or vegetable resembling a cucumber and swooshed it around dramatically. “Callum our hero, who braved storms and dragons on his quest, only to be slain by a hangry elf!”

Callum laughed as Rayla held the piece of food right under his chin, before taking a bite out of it. “What kind of fruit is that?”

“This?” As she waved the wobbly green piece again dramatically? “A cucumber.”

“Oh…” Callum said, disappointed. “Is it…magical?”

Rayla looked at him weirdly. “Noooo…. But it is juicy! I suppose you don’t have those at home?”

“No, actually, we do. I was just surprised to find normal fruit at the table as well.”

“Well…. Maybe one of the elves brought something more interesting?” Rayla offered. Callum shrugged.

Silence. Awkward silence. _Why is this awkward?_ Callum wondered. _We never had any problems before, especially not since the last few day… so why does this feel… weird._ He looked at Rayla, who looked like she was trying to find the meaning of life in her food.

Rayla, in the meantime, was thinking about the future. Just like Callum her thoughts had never wondered far beyond the mission. But now the mission was complete. _Would Callum want to see the rest of Xadia? Probably._ She mused, judging by his reaction when he first entered Xadia. _But what if he wants to live in Katolis? Would I want to live there? Or do I want to live…._ Her thoughts returned to her home, and she remembered she was banished. A pained expression crossed her face.

Callum noticed immediately. “Rayla, what’s wrong?”

Ralya sighed. “Just thinking about… you know, going home, or whether that’s possible.”

Callums face fell. “Oh. I see.”

Silence. Callum wanted to say; _Well, you can live at my place!_ He really did, but that would sound stupid, wouldn’t it? _Besides_ he thought, _Maybe she wants to live in Xadia. Pfft, probably. She’s from here after all._ “Hey, are there other Moonshadow Elf villages?”

Rayla was slightly surprised by the question out of nowhere. “Eh, yeah, of course!”

“Well, would they be able to see you?”

Rayla thought for a moment. “Probably. I think so, yeah.”

“So, why don’t you go live there?” Callum said, smiling brightly like what he suggested was the best idea ever.

“Oh, well, I … guess I could…?” She ventured carefully. _What, doesn’t he want me around now that we’re done with the mission?_ She was confused.

Callum saw that he didn’t get the reaction he was hoping for. He opened his mouth to clarify, but was interrupted by the heavy boots of his aunt, Amaya.

< It’s time. The other leaders are gathering in front of the dragon queen. > she signed to him.

“Oh! Already?” Callum exclaimed.

Rayla looked at them wondering what it was about while Callum answered both in speech and in silence.

“Should I get Ezran?”

<I think Opeli already did that. You should hurry. You are, after all, the prince of Katolis.>

“Oh, right.” Callum hadn’t felt like a prince in weeks. He turned to Rayla. “Uhm, apparently there is a meeting? We should probably go right now.”

“Oh! Right!” Rayla put down her food and began to rise, just as Ayama held out a hand and signed to her.

“I’m sorry. You are not allowed to attend. Nor am I. Leaders only.” Callum translated for her.

“Huh, but why do I… oh, right, the prince thing.” He laughed sheepishly.

Rayla cocked her head. Something about Callums reaction was off. At first, Rayla thought he was just playing dumb, but she had gotten to know Callum quite well. This wasn’t him acting weird. He was nervous.

“Callum, just go without me. You’ll do fine.”

Callum turned to her with panic written on his face. “What do you mean, I’ll do fine? I’ve never been a prince before! In court I mean! I was always the second option! I never had to do anything special!” He gestured wildly, comically even as he was saying these things loudly.

Various elves looked up from their food and looked in their direction. Rayla shushed him. “Callum… Yes, I understand, this is a new kind of scary, but you’ll do fine. Besides, you won’t be alone. Ezran and Zym would be there, wouldn’t they?” She said as she placed her hands on her shoulder.

Callum took a deep breath. Rayla felt him relax somewhat. “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks for being there for me.” He said as he smiled to her.

She felt a blush creep on her face. “After everything we’ve done? Of course, I’ll be there for you.” She closed the distance between them and put a chaste kiss upon his lips. Gasps could be heard across the room. Rayla and Callum winced.

“Oh, yeah, so there’s that…”

-/-/-/-

Callum was the last to enter the great hall. He was scared. The now not-so-sleepy gargantuan dragon was looming before him. She looked at Callum patiently.

“Welcome.” Her voice was soft but deafening all the same, coming from such a huge creature.

Callum looked who else was there. Zym was happily hopping around and playing with Ezran, with Opili keeping a watchful eye, and queen Aanya was speaking softly to Janai. When queen Aanya saw him come in, she waved. Callum gave a small wave back. It was intimidating to be given attention to by a beautiful girl who was also the queen of Duren, but the fact that she was a fair bit younger and slightly smaller than him did help him calm his nerves.

“Your majesty.” He greeted to her. He turned to the elf. “Erh… Hello?” he said, unsure how to greet an elf properly. He figured his Earthblood Elf routine wouldn’t quite cut it in this circumstance.

The elf smiled and bowed, crossing her hands in front of her with her fingers outstretched. “ ‘Hello’ prince Callum of Kartolis.” She replied gracefully.

“Then it seems we have all gathered here.” Queen Zubeia said to those assembled below. She lowered her head and let it rest upon her paws, as to be closer to the party.

Callum still felt unease, knowing that if she would smell dark magic, it would be him. _Apparently, I am…corrupted?_ The thought disturbed him.

“I want to again express my gratitude. I am grateful for what you have done for me and my son. My boy, Azymondias, has been returned to me, and with it. Hope.” Her eyes turned sad. “And, with that, I must also grovel before you and beg your forgiveness.” Her eyes turned to Ezran, who looked at her uncertain. “King Ezran, it was I who ordered you and your fathers’ assassination.”

She paused a bit, waiting for a reply. When none came, she continued; “With the death of my husband, and the… perceived destruction of my egg, I was distraught. I tried to contain my suffering, but in the end, I wanted nothing more than for you to suffer with it. However, when news reached me that King Harrow had been killed, I felt no victory. I only felt… empty. For a small while, I held on to my anger that you had escaped, but I realized that I could not bring back my loved ones by killing others.” She now looked at Zym. The group saw giant tears swelling in the dragon queens eyes. “Never would I have guessed that the sons of the man who killed my husband would return my own son to me. My gratitude is without bounds. Please forgive me for what I have done to you.” The last part was nearly a whisper.

Silence descended on the cavern, as everyone waited for Ezran and Callum to make a move. Callum had already made up his mind. He knew that they had to break the cycle, and that her feelings were earnest. That alone was enough to forgive her. But it was not just up to him. To him, Harrow was a like father, but also a step-father. There was more distance between them. It was Ezran who had suffered the greatest loss, or who was at the very least most afflicted by it. Everyone watched the small boy as he stepped forward. His voice cracked when he spoke. “I don’t …” he sniffed “… know why people think that you can solve a problem or feelings by killing someone. It never works. I know my father did something terrible, and now... I really, really understand how you feel.” The group watched Ezran and the dragon queen, face to face, tears in both of their eyes. “I will gladly forgive you. I will always miss him, but I think he, more than anyone, would understand that we need to have peace.”

The dragon queen gave an audible sigh at that, which actually rustled Ezran’s hair. He giggled a little. “Thank you, little one. Though you are small, you are already a good king, but above all, a great human being.” She raised her head, adopting a more regal pose. “Now, let us look to the future. I speak for the whole of Xadia in that we want nothing more than peace with the humans.”

“We, the people of Katolis, also want nothing more than to have peace with the elves and dragons of Xadia.” Ezran said resolutely. 

Opili simply nodded. _He is already a great ruler._ She thought, and smiled to herself. _If he keeps that up, I’ll be out of a job soon!_

Queen Aanya stepped forward. “I, Aanya of Duren, speak for my people and agree. Now is the time for peace.”

Janai stepped forward and bowed in her people’s manner. “I speak for the Sunfire Elves until a new ruler is crowned. In their name, I too would accept peace.”

The dragon queen nodded. “It is good that we all desire peace. However, not all the elves are represented here. And, I believe, this is also true for the humans?”

Queen Aanya nodded. “The kingdoms of Neolandia, Del Bar and Evenere are not represented here. As I understand it, their leaders were killed or wounded by Moonshadow Elf assassins, and their replacements died in battle yesterday.”

“That is unfortunate, but Moonshadow Elf assassins?” The dragon queen replied confused. “Who would have sent them to those kingdoms...”

“It wasn’t you?” Callum said, for the first time really speaking to the dragon.

“I had no quarrel with them, I had no… direct reason to.”

“Strange…” Callum replied, more to himself than anyone else.

“Well, at the very least, we can let it be known that we all want peace, and that, should others want to continue the war, we won’t support them.” Opili said with confidence.

“That could perhaps work for the humans, but the elves stand as one. We all must agree on such a decision.” Janai said, and continued. “Though, I think that this is what our queen wants, none will dare say otherwise.”

“Thank you, Janai of the Sunfire Elves.” The dragon queen replied. “Well, this is a wonderful start. Let us then discuss terms.”

Callum let out a sigh of relief. _There will be peace!_ He thought. _No more hiding, no more danger of being burned, or stabbed, or zapped… It’s all over! I can finally relax._ It was at this moment that Ibis came running into the chamber.

“Your majesty!”

“Ibis!” The dragon queen was surprised. “You’re intruding in our talks.”

“I’m sorry your majesty, but dragons are approaching!”

“More dragons? Is it led by one of the Primes?”

Callum didn’t understand that, but he had no time to ask. He looked at the faces of the others. They also looked disturbed by the sudden news.

“Your majesty, it looks like ALL the Primes are there!”

Queen Zubeida’s eyes opened wide. “What!?”

-/-/-/-

The sky outside of the Storm Spire was total pandemonium. Dragons were everywhere. Rayla was hiding near the entrance. She had already counted at least fifty. She knew dragons were her allies, and even she felt afraid. Callum appeared next to her.

“What’s going on?” he hissed.

“I don’t know! It was a beautiful morning with the sun rising and all that, and all of a sudden, this lot appeared!”

There was rumbling behind them. The dragon queen herself had appeared on the plateau near the peak of the Storm Spire. “Primes! I welcome thee, but what is the meaning of this visit?” She spoke with all her might.

Callum gasped. Now, outside of the cave, standing upright with her wings outstretched, he could fully appreciate how big the dragon actually was. The dragons that were flying around the spire were, though huge, still much smaller than her. Then the clouds parted, and six shaped descended from them. Six gargantuan dragons came out of the clouds and flew slowly in a large circle around the spire. Callum recognized one as a Sun Dragon, its head crest having a similar shape to the one Sol Regem had. He also recognized a storm dragon, though this one was small compared to the other Primes. The Ocean dragon was easy to spot, being deep blue and not having spikes as much as having fins decorating its crown and back. The other three he wasn’t so sure about, being very different entirely.

“Who are they?” Callum whispered. Well, he tried to, but he ended up shouting a bit as the wind picked up.

“I think they are the Primes. You know, the leader of each different kind of dragon.” Rayla replied.

Callum nodded that he understood. “You mean like, Sun Dragons is one kind, Storm dragons is another, and so on?”

“Yeah.”

Part of him wanted to go back to get his sketchbook, but then he felt fingers intertwining his and clenching his hand rather tight. He looked at Rayla, who looked positively afraid.

“Stay close Callum.” She said.

Callum swallowed. “I will Rayla.”

She smiled weakly and grabbed her sword. Then, the sky trembled as six different voices spoke.

“WE ARE HERE TO BRING NEWS!”

“NEWS FOR ALL TO HEAR!”

“THE DRAGONMOOT HAS ENDED!”

“WE HAVE DECIDED.”

“WE HAVE CHOSEN.”

“BEHOLD!”

Another shape descended from the clouds. Its form was massive, at least as big as the dragon queen herself, probably bigger. Its form was white with a dark blue underbelly. Its wings were similar, white with dark blue membrane stretched between. Its head was white with dark lines drawing patterns on its face. Two very clear blue eyes shone from its sockets. Its head was crowned by four large, black, curvy horns. Callem and Rayla looked at each other. 

“A Moon Dragon.” Rayla said.

Callum was looking intently at Rayla’s own horns. “Yeah, you’re right.”

The dragon descended on the spire. The plateau trembled as he landed in front of the queen.

“BEHOLD AND TREMBLE!” The Primes spoke. “BEFORE YOU STANDS AUREUM UMBRA, THE NEW DRAGON KING!”


	3. Terms of Peace

The giant white dragon regarded the dragon queen and those gathered at the plateau. All the other dragons were still swirling around the Storm Spire. Then he spoke with a thundering voice. “Well met queen Zubeia. I am pleased to see you have recovered.”

The dragon queen stepped forward. “You bring me honours gathering here at my spire. But tell me…” and she growled. “Have you come here to challenge my reign?”

Aureum Umbra gave a snort. “Challenge? No. In your absence in illness, the Dragonmoot decided to appoint me king. I am _pleasantly_ surprised that you still live. But you tell me…” and now the great white dragon growled and lowered his head as he looked in Callum’s direction. “Why is your spire infested with humans? Do you need help to burn them out?”

“No!” she said, as the dragon queen spread her wings defensively. “These humans came here as friends, as heroes!” Then, overcome with emotion, she quietly added, “They recued my son!”

“What? Impossible! The egg was destroyed.”

“Come inside Aureum Umbra, and see for yourself.” 

-/-/-/-

With both dragons in the great hall, the Storm Spire looked a lot more crowded. No one dared venture in the great hall, but most of the crowd was waiting at the entrance, curious as to what would transpire. The white dragon named Aureum Umbra hovered his head above Zym, who was both curious and frightened. Queen Zubeia had her tail curled around Zym protectively.

“This is a miracle queen Zubeia!” The dragon said at last in wonder. “Who do we owe our thanks to?”

Queen Zubeia looked proud when she said; “A couple of humans, and an elf managed to secure the egg. As I understand it, it hatched along the way. They were followed by a dark mage and his army, but they kept protecting my boy with their life.”

Callum listened to this from the entrance. He thought this was a very short version of their story, and it didn’t do justice to all the people who had helped them along the way.

The white dragon raised his head in the direction of the entrance. “Well then, heroes who saved Azymondias, present thyself!”

Callum paled, Ezran muttered “Do you think it’s safe?” but Rayla, after taking a deep breath, stepped forward and grabbed both humans by their hands. Together, they walked into the great hall and presented themselves before the two great dragons. They bowed. The great white dragon lowered his head and regarded them with piercing eyes. The trio felt like they were judged. The silence dragged on for maybe another minute, before the dragon raised its head again in a regal pose.

“Well Aureum Umbra? Shouldn’t we give thanks to these humans and elf?” the female dragon said, slight irritation in her voice as the white dragon had made no comment to them.

The white dragon focussed fully on the queen as he spoke. “Queen Zubeia. Since you fell ill and did not wake up, many things have happened. An army of humans entered Xadia, and Lux Aurea has been devastated by the corruption brought upon them by the dark mage. You were not there to stop them.” The white dragon said with judgment in his voice. The dragon queen hissed, but looked sad. It was true after all. “A Dragonmoot was called. I was chosen to stand where you could not. I am now King Aureum Umbra, king of whole of Xadia. And I will protect it from the humans with all my might.” He now sounded menacing. Callum expected Ezran to be afraid at that exclamation, but was surprised, and impressed, as Ezran stood firm and watched the white dragon carefully.

“So.” The dragon continued. “I was surprised to find humans at the Storm Spire. But now I know why.” He lowered his head again towards the trio, who gasped at the sudden shift in attention. “Know that you have my thanks. Stormdragons only lay one egg every thousand years. Saving Azymondias has earned you the respect and thanks of all of dragon kind!”

Callum swelled with pride and Ezran smiled openly at the dragon. Rayla was just relieved her friends weren’t going to get eaten after all.

“But.” The dragon said, hesitantly. “That makes things complicated. At the Dragonmoot, it was decided we must rally all of Xadia and storm the human lands. The humans are to be exterminated to the last.”

The crowd at the entrance gasped. Callum was shaking now. Rayla stepped forward. “No! No, you can’t do this! Not after all they’ve done!”

The dragon’s head now came dangerously close to Rayla. “I can… and I will, little elf girl. Everything for Xadia.” Rayla was struck by what he said. She remembered binding herself under similar words not too long ago.

“Aureum… King Aureum Umbra. Please stop this!” The dragon queen said. “Not moments before you arrived, we were discussing peace between our races!”

“What you have discussed is no longer valid. I am king, by the Dragonmoot’s decision.” He roared, raising himself above her. It was a fearsome spectacle.

Rayla whispered something, but Callum wasn’t paying attention and just missed it. “What did you say?”

“I said, when I give the signal, run!” she hissed back at him, reaching for her swords at her back. The great white dragon slammed its paw in the ground. He seemed frustrated. “But Azymondias is alive, and that changes things too. The Dragonroot’s decision was based on the assumption that he had long since passed. Very well.” He turned his mighty head in the direction of the crowd. Various humans cowered at the sight, and even elves were dropping to their knees left and right. “Hear this, humans, elves and dragons. I am king of Xadia, but only until Azymondias is fit to take the throne! Because of the act of saving Azymondias the dragon prince, Xadia will not invade the human lands…yet.” He turned back to queen Zubeia. “Can I assume this satisfies you?”

“Yes, a very wise decision King Auream Umbra.” She said, bowing her head.

The new dragon king snorted. “I expect these humans have rulers?” The queen nodded. “Gather them before me. We will discuss the terms of peace.”

The rest of the crowd dispersed from the entrance. Queen Aanya moved forward again, together with Opili and Janai. Rayla looked at Callum, trepidation in her eyes. Callum had no words for her. They were not out of the woods yet. Having no words, he opted to hug her instead. They stayed like this until it was clear the rest was waiting for them. “I should go now. Be safe Callum.” Rayla whispered in his ear as she pulled away.

Callum gave a wry grin. “I’ll try.” She returned a worried smile, and then walked out of the great hall.

After Rayla left, it was queen Aanya who spoke first. “We from the human lands want peace.” She spoke with determination. “What terms do you have in mind?”

King Auream Umbra was silent for a while. “What lands have aided the dragon queen and her Prince in their plight?” He asked.

Queen Aanya answered; “The lands of Katolis and Duren.”

“Katolis… I was informed that the dark mage’s army was from Katolis.”

Callum now spoke up. “That is true, but the dark mage, he’s called Viren by the way, anyway, he’s not really the ruler of Katolis. He just, sort of, took over when they killed my father.”

“I see, so who now rules Katolis?”

Ezran stepped forward. “I, King Ezran, speak for the people of Katolis.”

The dragon lowered his head again, focussing on Ezran. Callum wished he stopped doing that. _This dragon seems to enjoy being intimidating with that big scary head of his!_ The dragon looked down upon the small child, now a king.

“King Ezran, do you command the respect of your people?”

“He does.” Answered Opili as she laid a hand on Ezran’s shoulder. “I am the adviser of the king and I can say in truth that when King Ezran returns, all will rejoice and follow his example. In the few days he sat upon the throne he showed more grace and wisdom than many that came before.” Opili looked at him with a sad smile. “Including his father.” Ezran looked back up at her. He was confused. He understood it was a compliment, but didn’t really know what she meant exactly.

“Very well.” The mighty dragon raised his head. “Listen carefully, king and queen of the human lands. With you I will have peace. But the other human lands must still suffer for what they have done. Their use of dark magic has brought nothing but suffering to Xadia. This must end, once and for all.”

“But you can’t just punish thousands of innocents for what a few people do!” Callum exclaimed.

“Neither can I put the millions of creatures of Xadia at risk, young prince.” The dragon replied sharply.

Queen Aanya cleared her throat, trying to get everyone’s attention. “I agree that dark magic is a problem. It’s a dangerous thing, and many have suffered through it.” The dragon king nodded in agreement. “But isn’t the use of dark magic just a symptom of a bigger problem? The lands we live in don’t always provide what we need. Thousands would have starved more than a decade ago if we did not reshape the land with dark magic.”

Both dragons were now growling at the new direction of the conversation. Callum gave her a warning look, but she ignored it. “I’m not saying that we should return to the ways of dark magic out of necessity, but we must have an alternative or the people will go back to it. If children starve, a parent will do anything it can to prevent it, even using dark magic.”

Callum held its breath. What she was saying was a reasonable explanation of why people used its power. He knew he used it because he had no other options. And yet, it still felt _wrong_. He had used it out of necessity once. It felt wrong then, and its smell apparently still followed him around.

“Then what do you suggest, young queen?” The dragon responded at length.

Queen Aanya continued. “We must establish trade relations with Xadia. When hard times come, we will need your help. We would also need some of your mages at our courts to prevent the dark mage from gaining power in Katolis again.” Opilis gave her a warning look. She did not like the thought of an elven mage in the capital. But she remained silent. Queen Aanya was right after all.

King Aureum Umbra narrowed his eyes at her. “A point well made. And yet, I decline.” Callum saw that queen Aanya was taken aback by that. “Your survival is your own concern. We of Xadia are not responsible for it. Nor will I suffer our mages in the hands of the humans. I will not enforce this upon the Elves of Xadia.” He said with a finality that left no room for argument. “However” he said suddenly, “you are free to try and establish those trade relations with the various cities and villages. I will allow a checkpoint to be opened at the border, so that _small_ human bands may travel through Xadia unmolested to trade. But.” He added with a warning growl. “One small misstep and I will strike you down. You,” pointing with its snout at Callum and Ezran, “have earned my respect for saving young Azymondias. And Katolis and Duren have earned my mercy for standing with the dragon queen in her hour of need.” Queen Zubeia looked grateful. “For that, I will allow _a chance_ for peace. Nothing more. As for the other human kingdoms. If their use of dark magic threatens Xadia ever again, I WILL DESTROY THEM.” He roared.

The humans looked very concerned. Queen Aanya looked to the ground, Opili gritted her teeth, and Ezran looked like he was finding all this very unfair. Callum watched Janai for some reaction, but she was pretty stoic under the news.

“Firm but fair King Aureum Umbra.” Queen Zubeia replied. To the group she said. “Go now, young rulers. Prepare for your departure. We must all play our part to ensure that peace will flower between the nations.”

All present bowed and took their leave. Ezran took one last look behind him. Zym was looking right back at him. He felt that Zym was worried about the same thing as he was; that they might not see each other in a long time. Ezran really hoped they could say goodbye before they left.

-/-/-/-

It was early afternoon as Rayla and Callum exited the caverns and halls of the Storm Spire. The arrival of the dragons and both meetings had taken up a fair bit of time, and mentally, Callum was already exhausted. He wanted to do nothing more than clear his head. He decided to go to the peak of the Spire, while Ezran opted to remain in the hall and get some more food.

“Do you want to come?” he asked Rayla. She nodded as she fell in step behind him.

The peak wasn’t as peaceful and quiet as Callum had hoped. Several dragons were resting there, two clinging to the side and one resting on the plateau. They all looked at the pair. It was clear that they viewed them as intruders.

“Ugh… I don’t think they like us.” Callum eyed the dragons just a distrusting. He knew some had fought with them yesterday, but these hadn’t.

“They’re probably not used to your human charm.” Rayla ventured carefully. “What did you want to do anyway?”

Callum felt a blush creeping up his face. “Uuhhh, nothing! Nothing very important. Nope, just enjoying the…sunset! That’s it!”

“The sunrise?” Rayla blinked. “But that’s half a day away.”

“Right, ehm…” Callum stammered. He made an exasperated sign with his hands, then stepped closer to her. “I just wanted some alone time with you.” He said very quietly.

Rayla saw the look on his face. Yesterday they faced death and were very forthcoming about how they felt. Today though was just another day, and though they both knew they loved each other, this didn’t prevent them from being shy around one another. 

“Ah, right! You dumb human, why didn’t you say so?” She smiled mischievously, teasing her favourite human boy.

“I…just did.” Callum deadpanned back, trying to avoid further embarrassment.

She looked at the dragons, who seemed to be sunbathing on top of the spire. “Well, we won’t get it over here.” She thought for a moment. Then her face lit up, and her mischievous smile returned. “Ach, it’s no use Callum!” She said dramatically. “We can’t be together if we can’t have any privacy now can we?” Her excamations were answered with a weird look on Callums face.

 _What on earth is she saying?_ Callum could make neither heads nor tails of her statement.

She turned around and gestured wildly, keeping up the act. “Oh, how I long for some time with my prince! If only there were a prince strong enough to _sweep_ me of my feet and _fly_ me far away from here…” She crossed her arms and gave Callum a look.

It took Callum a few seconds to connect the dots. He certainly wasn’t as dense as Soren could be, but women were still a mystery to him. Then his face lit up as he got it. “Oh, I get it! You just gave me a hint!”

Rayla feared that slapping him would spoil the mood, so she just slapped her own face.

Callum grinned. “Well, you could have just asked. Manus Pluma Volantis!” His stretched arms turned into giant wings. One of the dragons who kept an eye on them let out a surprised yelp. Callum noticed the other dragons craning their long necks to see what was going on. He turned his back to Rayla. “I figure this’ll be easier for you. Hop on!”

Rayla smiled as she pressed her body against his, putting one arm over his shoulder and the other underneath his other one, testing to see what grip would sit best.

Callum turned his head and gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I’ve already caught you once.”

Rayla felt her heart jump a little. She quickly pecked him on the check. “Just go you human. Let’s get out of here before I get all mushy.” Callum returned a smile, and then, with a powerful thrust of his wings, he jumped.

They fell along the side of the Storm Spire. Onlookers, mostly elves, gasped as Callum spread his wings and flew up, carrying Rayla on his back. Callem turned to circle the Storm Spire, while Rayla was laughing on his back.

“This is fantastic!” She yelled! Her stomach was full of butterflies. She didn’t know if it was the thrill of the excitement, or the fact that she had an excuse to press herself as close to Callum as she wanted to. At this moment though, she didn’t care.

A few dragons parted from the spire and flew in their direction. Callum continued his slow circle, keeping an eye out for the dragons. _They were probably just curious,_ he thought. When he was behind the spire, he broke away and descended into the clouds. Rayla felt the moisture in her face, so she closed her eyes and pressed her face against his back. She smelled his familiar scent. She was also reminded at their little stunt with Sol Regem; it had indeed been a while since either of them bathed. This gave her an idea.

“Callum!” She yelled.

“Yeah?”

“See of you can find a spot that has some water near it!”

Callum responded with a wink and made his way up again. The clouds had parted and Callum could now see most of the lands behind the Storm Spire. It took a while, but eventually he found what seemed to be a meadow with a small lake in it. When he got closer, he saw that it was connected by several smaller streams, running down from the hills into the lake, before exiting the lake further down and making their way through the woods.

Callum rushed towards the meadow, before righting himself and stalling their momentum. Rayla found herself pressed tightly to his back, before she felt the soft earth beneath her feet. She let herself fall into the tall grass and was laughing openly. “That was amazing!”

Callum smiled at her. “Glad you like it.” He stood back, folded his wings and closed his eyes. After a moment of concentration, the feathers of his wings began to fall off rapidly and faded as his arms returned. Callum rubbed his arms, watching the new markings on them. “I guess they are permanent now.”

Rayla eyed him from below. “I like them.” She gave him a smile that gave him goose bumps and made his stomach do weird flips and turns. Callum laid down next to her in the field. He felt her fingers close over his. The one missing finger didn’t bother him, but her hands felt smaller than his, even though she was technically the bigger of the two (but only by a horns length, he would argue). Rayla propped up an elbow and looked down at him.

“Hello stinky.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Well that’s offensive. And,” he countered as he sat up himself. “right back at you.” He looked back towards the lake which was close by. “Right, so you want to go for a swim.”

Rayla paled a bit. “Eh, maybe not so much a swim as just, you know, get the sweet smell of travel out of our clothes and enjoy a bit of sunbathing.” She got up. Callum followed her.

“The water thing?” he enquired.

She nodded. “The water thing.”

“But, you _do_ bathe, right?”

Now Rayla turned around, hands on her hips. “What do you take me for? Some stinky filthy human?”

She was teasing him, he knew that. It still stung a little, but Callum decided not to make a point about that remark. He held up his hands in surrender. “Hey, all I know is that you didn’t enjoy your time in the water. “

Rayla snorted. “Ha! I wonder why that was? Maybe because I was nearly eaten by a giant fish? Or was it because you nearly electrocuted me and Bait?”

They both laughed and exchanged banter as they made their way to the shore of the lake.

When they got there, Callum got really self-conscious. In his mind, as a prince, bathing was something you did in private. You never disrobed in front of someone else. So he was stunned to find that Rayla was already undoing the clasp of her belt and taking of her vest and armour.

Rayla tossed her vest and supple armour on a pile and bent down to undo her boots when she noticed she was being stared at. “Callum? What’s wrong?”

Callum’s head was red as a beat. He stared at the white silk-like wrappings along her chest, hiding her- _NO! No, not going to think about that now, nope!_ He looked up and around, trying to find something to focus on. Obviously failing, because what could be more interesting than the elf girl undressing in front of him.

Rayla thought his reaction was cute, but also weird. Though she wasn’t fond of swimming, she did go with other elves when they went to a lake. She mostly spent her time on the side or in the shallow parts of the water. Elves had no problems showing each other their bodies. It was nothing to be ashamed off. Sure, they would keep their wraps and undies on, but she found it impossible to comprehend why Callum was making such a fuss about it. He hadn’t undressed at all!

“Is this… a human thing?” she asked carefully.

“Eh… could be?” he was watching a tree now. _What a tree! What a beautiful tree! Yup, nothing more interesting to see than that tree!_ But in a moment of weakness he glanced at Rayla, and then wished he hadn’t. She had finished disrobing and now stood before him only wearing a white under cloth and those silk-like wrappings around her chest. He felt his body responding and panicked.

“Why don’t you go ahead? I’ll be… over there! Using… a chamber pot!” He strolled away, trying to look confident, failing horribly.

Rayla stared after him with a confused look on her face. She shrugged. “Boys…” She gathered her clothing and made her way to the lake to start washing her clothes.

It took Callum a full fifteen minutes to calm down, and another fifteen to gather the courage to disrobe down to his undies. _This is normal. You’ve been on the road a while. It’s totally normal to take a bath in the lake. With Rayla. Who’s not wearing a lot right now. Totally normal._ He looked down at his body. He _was_ dirty from the travels, and smelly too. It saved them when they tried to get past Sol Regem, but Callum conceded he really needed a bath. And even though the water was cold, it would help at least a bit for his clothing. He took several deep breaths, steeling himself, and made his way to the edge of the lake. Rayla sat in the shallow water, scrubbing something over her vest. She looked at him as he approached. “You took your time! I was about to look for ya.”

Callum stopped at the water’s edge, having some internal debate, then sat down next to her, but not too close. He unceremoniously dropped his stuff into the water. Rayla yelped.

“Callum! Careful of your boots!”

“Oh right!” He tossed his boots on the edge, spraying the both of them with water.

“Ah, dummy! Watch out!” She splashed water back at him.

He laughed, and splashed her with his foot. Soon, the both of them were laughing and splashing. The sun beamed down upon them, and it would prove to be a warm day. In his absence, Rayla had found a few plants and flowers that could be used for soap or to make the clothing smell better. It wasn’t a lot, but they shared what they had. Rayla had to show Callum how to thoroughly wash his clothes though, as he had never done it before in his life. Rayla found that thought ridiculous.

“Really, not once?”

“Nope.”

“How about cleaning your room?”

“Well yeah, if we used toys we had to put them away-“

“Nonono, I mean like, dust off the shelves, sweep the floor, make your bed…”

“Ah, that! No, sorry.”

She looked at him in an entirely new light. “Huh. Well, you did well on our journey here then!”

He rubbed the back of his head and tried to laugh it off. “Well, you know, our dad used to take us on trips. Aunt Amaya also had a hand in making sure we could survive in the wilderness, so we were not completely helpless.”

“Right.” Rayla gave him a look that told him she was unconvinced.

“No really! I can take care of myself!”

“Well, you can _now!_ ”

He laughed and let her have that one.

Their clothes were drying on the shore as they lay on the soft sand at the edge of the lake. It was peaceful here. The sun wasn’t strong enough to burn them, but it felt soothing. Eventually Callum broke the silence.

“You know that it’s only been a month since we met?”

Rayla opened her eyes, having nearly dozed off. “Just a month?” She thought about that. “It feels like it’s been… years.”

Callum agreed. “Yeah, it does, doesn’t it?”

They lapsed into silence again for a bit, but then Callum got up.

“I’m going to take a swim.”

“Alright.” Rayla said, her eyes closed again.

Callum waited around, his hesitance gone unnoticed by Ralya. “Do… you want to come?”

“Water. Bad. So no.” was the short response he got.

Callum saw her lying on the grass, serene and relaxed, and contemplated how lucky he was to have fallen in love with such a beautiful and lovely person.

Rayla noticed he still hadn’t moved and cracked one eye open. When she saw him looking down at her she said “Enjoying the view?”

“Eh, right!” Blushing furiously, he quickly took a few large steps and soon was splashing through the water. The water wasn’t all that deep at the edge, reaching maybe to his chest, but he noticed it would drop down steeply if he got close to the middle. He let himself float in the water and took a few broad strokes. _I wonder if I’ll ever be able to connect to the Ocean Arcanum._ He stayed in the water for a while. Once he got tired, he made his way to shore. Rayla was standing at the edge, waiting for him.

“Did you enjoy your time in that horrendous liquid?” Her arms were crossed, her head cocked to the side. She couldn’t fathom why anyone would love to spend time in the water.

“Hey, wasn’t this your idea?”

“ _My_ idea was to get cleaned up, which I have.”

“Hmmm, still, I _really_ think you should get a taste. The water feels wonderful!”

Rayla recognized that grin. She had worn such an evil grin herself at times. “Callum,” she warned “I don’t know what you’re thinking but- aaaigh!” she screamed as a dripping wet Callum quickly hugged her, pressing his wet body to hers. He laughed while she weakly punched him in the ribs, not really wanting to hurt him.

“Callum, you idiot!” she said, barely containing her own laugh.

He smiled at her, still holding her tight. “There, doesn’t that feel nice?”

She thought about it. It did feel nice, but her thoughts weren’t about the water. Suddenly, she was very conscious that her half naked body was pressed tightly to his. She wriggled to get free. Being by far the stronger and most dexterous of the two, she easily succeeded.

“Ahem, yeah. Right. We really need to…!”

Callum saw her blushing. He still felt the touch of her body lingering, and felt his own embarrassment grow. He quickly tried to change the subject. “Oh, yeah. Well, I’ll give you a swimming lesson another time then.”

Rayla laughed. “Hahaha! Not in your life-time human.”

“Really? Well, maybe next time I’ll just pick you up to give you a hand.” He said with a mischievous smile. Rayla returned the same kind of smile. She wiggled her finger at him.

“My dear, sweet prince, you couldn’t if you tried.”

She gestured to the clothes. “Our clothes are still a wee bit damp, but I had this idea.” She looked at him expectantly. “Do you think your aspiro could dry them off?”

Callum thought about that. “Well, I suppose. I mean, they’d probably blow away, but they’d be dry.”

Rayla shook her head. “That’s why I’ll hold them for you silly prince.”

They put their plan into action. Rayla would grab an article of clothing and hold it out while Callum did his aspiro spell. Soon, everything was dry but Callum’s boots, which were cleaner, but still soggy. They gave the lake one last look. Then Rallum incanted his mage wings spell. Rayla put her arms around his neck. She enjoyed how fresh they both smelled after their little excursion. Before they took off, Rayla whispered into into his ear.

“Callum?”

“Yeah?”

She smiled. “I liked this. Thanks.” She kissed him on his cheek.

He smiled back at her. “You’re welcome.”

And then they were off.

-/-/-/-

It was nearly dusk when they returned to the Storm Spire. They were immediately greeted by Ezran and Opili.

“Where have you been? We’re having our last meeting in less than an hour!” Opili said with worry.

Ezran piped up. “Were you making sandwiches again?”

“Sandwiches?” Rayla gave Ezran a weird look.

Callum, meanwhile, went beat-red again. This happened a lot since he was with Rayla, much to his chagrin. “N-Nothing like that!” he stammered. “But, what is the meeting about? I thought everything had been decided?”

Opili shook her head. “This is just to finalize the last few details in our agreement. It mostly concerns our roles within the peace treaty.”

“Roles?”

“Yes. Who will be the ambassador, and under what terms can they cross the border. What you will do as a prince, etcetera. That kind of stuff.”

“Oh.” Callum was reminded of his earlier contemplations about the future. “So… can I choose a role?”

Opili looked uncertain at king Ezran. “Well, you could suggest one. King Ezran would have to agree.”

Ezran looked at his big step-brother curiously. “What do you think your role is Callum?”

Callum thought about it. There were various things beside the mission that had kept him going the previous month. One of them was Rayla of course, but the other two were sketching and magic. “I think I should learn magic, so I can teach it to other humans. I mean, if they can use magic without using Dark magic, everyone is happy, right?”

Opili looked at him thoughtfully. “You really think you can do that?”

Callum shrugged. “Only one way to find out, don’t we? And the best mages are in Xadia, so that would mean lots of dangerous traveling, for which, I would require protection.” He turned to Rayla. “I know only one elf who was able to keep me alive so far.”

Rayla smiled back at him and cocked an eyebrow. “Well, if it wasn’t for your habbit if trying to get us all into trouble, it would all be a fair bit easier.” She stepped towards her boyfriend. “Of course I’ll protect you.” She said as she kissed him. “Besides, who could be a better guide to Xadia than me right?” she exclaimed.

They didn’t notice Opili looking at them with a look of surprise. “My king,” she whispered. “Is this legal?” referring to their kiss. King Ezran merely shrugged.

A large crowd had gathered in the great hall where the royal dragons were. Zym was flying in circles around his mother, until he spotted Ezran. Ezran waved cheerfully at his friend. “Come here Zym.” If anyone noticed, they could see King Aureum Umbra looking disapprovingly at the contact between the two, but he remained silent. It was clear that queen Zubeia did approve. The crowd included most of the higher-ups from the various sides. Rayla also spotted two smaller dragons up on the ceiling. She wasn’t sure what their purpose was. _Perhaps important dragon officials? Is there even such a thing?_ But the mood was alright, and people were readily shaking hands. The war was past them, they just had to finalize the last few things.

“Welcome, all who have gathered before us.” Queen Zubeia started. “We are here to discuss the last few items before you all depart to your respective homes.”

Rayla felt a pit in her stomach suddenly opening, but she quickly reassured herself. _I’ll just stay with Callum for now. I can worry about those things later, though, maybe I can ask the queen for help later?_ She eyed the dragon with uncertainty. She trusted the queen well enough, but the king hadn’t left her side and seemed to be intend to rule as long as Zym is still a child.

King Aureum Umbra spoke. “First of all, a checkpoint at the border must be opened. Of the humans, who will take responsibility?”

General Amaya looked at Ezran, and he nodded. She had given him a heads-up about her wishes. “General Amaya of Katolis will control the human side of the checkpoint.”

“Very well.” The dragon scanned the crowd. “It is only fitting I should choose an equal counterpart. General Janai, you will guard our side of the border. Guard it well. Let only those with the royal seal of the kingdom of Katolis en Duren pass.” The dragon eyed king Ezran and queen Aanya intently. “I trust this seal will not be given lightly.” Both Ezran and Aanya nodded. Amaya and Janai gave eachother a wink, being particularly pleased with the arrangement.

Opili stepped forward. “King Aureum Umbra, shall we appoint ambassadors of the human kingdoms to stay near the Storm Spire?”

The dragon king grumbled. “I will not allow humans in this household. But I will allow those with the royal seal to seek audience. That should suffice.”

Opili nodded and retreated a step. It was disappointing, as it would slow down talks considerably. _Perhaps with time,_ she thought. She just hoped the peace would last long enough for such improvements to be made.

The dragon king rose. “I believe that is all. Any other matters may be delegated to queen Zubeia for another time. I trust her wisdom to choose the correct path for Xadia.” This statement left no room for misunderstanding; King Aureum Umbra put the needs of Xadia first and wanted everyone in the great hall to know this. “All what has been decided, the peace, and the checkpoints, must be made known. And we must undo what was previous decreed; the attack on the human lands. Therefore, I will call a new Dragonmoot.”

There was rumbling from above, as the two smaller dragons shifted and clawed their way downwards, and out of the great hall. People had to jump aside to let them pass. Rayla watched them leave with interest. _Messengers, then?_

“However, before I leave, there was one other thing.” He scanned the crowd. “Rayla, protector of the egg and savior of Azymondias, step forward.”

Rayla’s eyes widened when the dragon king spoke her name. _What does he want with me?_ Her instinct told her to reach for her blades. She felt safe with those in her hands. But all eyes were upon her. Without her blades in her hand, she felt naked and insecure. Then she felt a hand take hers. She looked to her left as Callum gave her a reassuring nod.

“You’ll be fine.” He said with a grin, referring to what she said to him earlier today.

She smiled back to him and let go of his hand as she stepped forward, still trembling inside. She stood before the dragon and bowed.

“Rise Rayla. You have done well. You braved the human lands and its perils, and brought Azymondias safely home. You have fought valiantly against any who would threaten our kind, and were ready to give your life for Xadia. Let it be known that there is no one bolder, more courageous or more valiant than Ralia of Xadia.”

Rayla watched with mouth agape as the crowd cheered. To be given this much praise by the highest ruler of Xadia was a reward on itself. She bowed deeply. “My heart for Xadia.” She replied, feeling much better about that statement now.

“Rayla of Xadia, I appoint you captain of the dragonguard. May you serve with honor!”

The crowd kept cheering. All, but Callum, who now looked at her with an alarmed expression. _This means that she’ll have to stay here… forever!_ His thoughts were going crazy. Meanwhile, Rayla tried to collect her own thoughts. _Me, a dragonguard!_ Sure, Janai had called her that, and she did see it as a chance to prove herself, but now it was official. But what did it mean for her future? She looked for Callum in the crowd and saw his panic-stricken face. _Oh Callum…_ she thought. _What do we do now?_

-/-/-/-

It was dark and damp in the cave. It was out of necessity that he stayed here, but he didn’t have to like it. He worried. He worried about the future, and he worried about the creature in the corner. But most of all, he worried about his daughter. _To be resurrected! What a feat!_ But he recalled how she looked when he had woken up. _My dear daughter… what did it cost you?_

It was a few hours before Claudia returned. She had a bag with her, filled with various vegetables. Viren looked at her questionably. “Do you know which ones are edible?”

Claudia shrugged. “I used some magic to make sure.” She tossed him a purple, round fruit and sat down. Viren almost bit into one, but hesitated. _She isn’t eating?_

“Aren’t you hungry?” he asked.

Claudia shrugged. “Not hungry.” was her only response.

Viren at last took a bite. It was a rather spicy fruit, but it went down well. Soon, he felt much-needed strength returning to his battered and broken body.

Claudia spoke first. “So, what do we do now?”

Viren thought about the question. _What now indeed?_ He sighed and spoke his thoughts out loud. “We can’t go back to Katolis. We have zero credibility left there. But we can’t stay here either. Where are we anyway?”

Claudia shrugged. “Somewhere hidden.” was all she would say. She glanced at the glowing shell in the corner. It radiated a sickly purple colour that pulsed like a heartbeat. _It’s pace is quicker,_ she thought.

Viren threw the remaining fruit in a corner, clearly frustrated. “I almost had it Claudia. I almost had the power to end this conflict! And now…” He sighed. He looked at his daughter, who now had her full attention on the purple cocoon. “Claudia, are you even listening.”

She turned around. “Shhh! I think it’s going to hatch.”

“So what!?” Viren shouted. “We have no where to go! Even if that… that thing could somehow give us the power to defeat our enemies… do you realize who our enemies are now? WE ARE! We are the enemies of Katolis!” He screamed, then clutched his chest. Claudia rushed towards him.

“Hey, you must take it easy dad. You’ve only been alive for a few hours!” Viren looked at her, still coughing. “Like, a baby, you know? No? Not the time for a joke?”

Viren let himself sink to the floor. “Claudia, what are we going to do. The only people who would still support us are those of the other kingdoms. Neolandia, Del Bar and Evenere.”

“Then let’s go there!” Claudia said cheerfully.

“Well we can’t! Even if we travel miles through Xadia, dodging fire breathing dragons and murderous sun elves, we can’t cross the border!” Viren was screaming now, and neither was noticing the cracks audible from the cocoon. “And even if we did cross. If we somehow… grew wings or… could turn lava into water… Even if we got across, then we still had to travel through Katolis and Duren!” He slammed his fist against the wall with a loud resounding crack. Viren glanced at the wall questionably, but continued. He grabbed Claudia’s hand. “Daughter, I have no way to get us back safely…”

A sickly, slimy sound was heard from behind them. They turned just in time to see it emerge from the cocoon. A bug as large as a horse with large wings and six long, thin legs. It regarded them with large, black orbs as eyes. In the very familiar voice of Aavaron it spoke, something that Claudia heard for the very first time.

“I can help with that.”


	4. Tears

Elves were openly congratulating Rayla. They laughed and clapped her on the shoulder, or saluted in honour of her new position. Rayla found it difficult to accept the praise gracefully. She wanted nothing more than to run to Callum, but she couldn’t see him anymore through the crowd.

King Aureum Umbra spoke, but she could barely hear him. She looked up to see him speaking softly to queen Zubeia. Then the dragon carefully made his way through to the exit, with Elves and the occasional human getting out of the way lest they get squashed.

Callem couldn’t see Rayla anymore either, but he had a good idea where she was as the elves had swarmed around her to congratulate her. He found it hard to be happy for her. _We were going to travel through Xadia!_ he thought. _Now what do we do?_ He tried to calm himself. He quickly figured that as long as he was in Xadia, he could at least visit regularly. His mage wings would surely speed up his travels as well. He still needed permission to learn magic though. He eyed the entrance the king had just left through. _I don’t think he is the one to grant any favours._ he thought bitterly. _But the queen is much nicer. She might._

He stepped towards the dragon queen and noticed that Ezran walked beside him. His little brother looked sad. “Whats the matter Ezran?”

Ezran looked at him. It was clear he was trying to hold back tears. “This is it, isn’t it?”

“Is it is what?”

Ezran looked back to Zym, who was hopping up and down without a care in the world next to his mother. “This is the part where we say goodbye.”

And Callum realized his little brothers’ problem. Even though he as a prince still had some freedom, Ezran was the king. He belonged to the throne. It could be years before he would go back to the spire. All of a sudden, his own concerns seemed trivial. He tried to comfort him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’m sure that there will be many diplomatic reasons to visit him.”

Ezran eyed him sceptically. “You really think so?”

“Sure!” He replied cheerfully. “Think of a jelly-tart shortage, or the peanut butter exchange trade, or what about the elf-kissing pandemic?”

Ezran was giggling, but let out an “Iewl!” at that last one. Callum laughed at his reaction.

They stood on the grass before the mighty dragon queen, who noticed them.

“King Ezran, prince Callum, was there something else?”

Ezran fiddled with his hands. He no longer looked like a king, more like a shy ten-year-old boy. “Uhm, I just wanted to say goodbye to Zym, if that’s alright.” He muttered.

“Oh, little one… it is easy to forget how young you are.” Queen Zubeia said with sympathy in her eyes. She nudged Zym towards Ezran. Zym flew into the boy’s arms, who landed straight on his back, laughing as Zym gave him the zappy treatment. Callum was glad for their moment. He enjoyed seeing his little brother happy.

“Erhm, queen Zubeia?” he started, craning his neck to look up to the giant dragon.

“Yes, prince Callum? What is it?”

He sighed. He was all kinds of scared talking to the huge creature, but if he wanted to have any way of staying close to Rayla, he needed to do this. “So, I can do magic, I mean, I’m connected to the Sky Arcanum. And, well, normally humans can’t do that, but I can.”

The queen didn’t respond, but waited patiently for him to make his point.

“Well, the thing is, dark magic is easy, but wrong! It’s very, very wrong, but easy. People will choose the easy way out if they don’t have a good alternative.” He took a deep breath. He was rambling and he knew it. “The point is, if I get to learn about the arcanum kind of magic, I might be able to teach other humans that! So, then they don’t have to use Dark Magic anymore and poof! Problem solved!”

It was only now that Callum noticed the quiet in the great hall. He didn’t dare turn around, figuring probably most anyone present was watching him.

“So, can I have your permission to find a magic teacher in Xadia please?”

Queen Zubeia was silent for what seemed like a long time. Callum dared not look at her, or turn around, so he opted to inspect his boots. They were still soggy. He looked up when he at last heard the rumbling soft tones of the dragon’s voice, but when he heard her message, his heart dropped.

“Prince Callum, I know you mean well, but I don’t think it is a good idea to allow you to travel Xadia right now.” she said. Her voice was heavy with regret and resignation.

“What!?” Callum’s eyes widened. He looked the dragon in the eyes. “But why?” He asked softly.

“We have peace, but our peace is fragile, and King Aereum Umbra was very specific about the terms. Humans have to go through a check-point, which has not been made yet, so that we can control who enters our lands. And you need a royal seal for that. Right now, Xadia is not even aware of the new arrangement. How do you think elves would react when a human suddenly walks in their midst?”

Callum, in a burst of young wisdom, decided that now was probably not the time for his earthblood elf impression.

“Also,” the dragon continued in a much more sombre tone, “I smell the stench of dark magic on you. I know you helped defend the Storm Spire, and I am grateful for that. But even so, every dragon will know what you have done. You must be prepared to accept that you may never enter Xadia again.”

Callum was now absolutely panicking. Tears flowed freely over his cheeks. He wanted to scream that that wasn’t fair, not after all he’d done. But nothing in this war had been fair. He struggled to contain his emotions and balled his hands into fists. Then he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder.

“But that’s not fair!” the strong, sweet female voice sounded on his right. “I know Callum messed up once to use Dark Magic, but he did so only once, and it was for a good cause! He tried to save another dragon!”

The dragon queen looked at Rayla, but her tone of voice remained unchanged. “Even so, what right did he have to use such magic? What right did he have to exchange one life for another?”

Rayla knew this, but she had to defend Callum. Rayla rallied, trying to shift their perspective. “He didn’t, and he paid for it afterwards. He got very sick and nearly died. He learned from that and has never used dark magic since. He even connected to the sky arcanum! Look,” she let go of Callum’s shoulder and gestured with both hands to make her point feel stronger. “I’m not saying he was right to use dark magic. He wasn’t. But his intent was. Even better, he now knows better than anyone why it is the wrong path to take! If anyone can teach that lesson to the other humans, it is him!” She stood there, one hand on her heart, the other outstretched to Callum. She had made her case as best as she could.

“Intent doesn’t matter. The humans started using Dark Magic with the best of their intentions; to feed their children. But the corruption spread from there.” The dragon queen shifted, the cave rumbling beneath her. She was uncomfortable with the situation, and tried to find a solution in earnest. “However, I can see your point. I do not think that King Aureum Umbra would see it that way. He would fear that Callum would use dark magic again, and would need more to be convinced of his abstinence, but he is gone now.” The dragon queen breathed deeply. Callum had moved beside Rayla. He looked at her. Rayla saw a mix of emotions in his eyes; fear, resignation, sadness. Rayla wondered if he saw the same in hers. But she would not give up hope. Not when they just got together! She steeled herself, grabbing Callum’s hand and looked upwards to the dragon queen.

“There must be something Callum can do to convince him!” Rayla said loudly. “We can’t just keep being afraid of what the other might or might not do!”

“It is more the point of what he has done in the past, Rayla.” The dragon queen rumbled. “But very well. I will offer this; Prince Callum is free to return to Xadia once he has brought proof to King Aureum Umbra that the dark mage’s influence has been completely destroyed in Katolis. If he does this, we will be convinced of his intent to put dark magic behind him and reconsider his request.”

Callum breathed in sharply. _Okay,_ he thought, _that’s … doable. I’m not sure how yet, but okay._ He looked at Rayla. _I just hope it won’t take too long._

The dragon queen regarded the pair with sadness in her eyes. In very soft tones, she rumbled “I’m sorry little ones. If times were different, I could be more lenient. But this peace is fragile as a flower in winters’ spring. We must tread carefully for now.”

Rayla nodded, acknowledging the statement, and bowed. Callum followed suit, and together they left the great hall. Ezran looked his dragon-friend in the eye. “Well, so long buddy. I’ll see you again, I’m sure of it.” Zym pressed himself against Ezran, and he returned the hug. Then the two separated. Ezran tried to not look back over his shoulder. He heard Zym yelping after him. Resolutely, he walked out of the great hall, tears streaming down his face.

-/-/-/-

The sun was setting as a small crowd had gathered at the entrance to the halls of the Storm Spire. King Ezran and queen Aanya said their goodbyes to the various elves they had met. Soren checked their bags to see if everything was set for the long journey, impatient to get out of here. Dragons flew around the spire, with four dragons standing at the ready to fly the travellers down and give them a head start.

Callum stood away from the group, a sobbing Rayla in his arms. “It’s not fair.” She whispered between her sobs. “Just when I’ve finally found a friend, I must say goodbye again.” Callum looked into her tearful eyes. He tried to keep it together.

“Don’t worry Rayla.” A tremor could be heard in his voice. “We’ll see each other again soon enough. I just have to destroy Viren’s old room. It’ll be fun to trash it.” He said with a wink. Despite the tears, Rayla giggled.

“Callum, come on! We are leaving!” Soren shouted from atop his dragon.

Callum rolled his eyes. “Just a minute!”

“Have you given her a sandwich yet?” Ezran shouted. Several people (mostly humans) looked at them strangely. Rayla didn’t know what Ezran meant, but she saw Callum twitch at his mention.

“Ezran, why don’t you just go ahead? I’ll fly right behind you on my own.” Callum replied with a strained voice. Ezran didn’t catch up on his tone. He merely shrugged and asked his dragon to leave. Soon the entire delegation flew off into the sunset. The elves gave them a cheerful farewell. Meanwhile, Rayla and Callum were still holding on to each other.

“This is it huh?” Rayla whispered into his ear. She was hugging him with all her might, nearly crushing the air out of him. Callum didn’t mind.

“For now.” He replied. He gathered his courage and broke off the hug. They looked in each other’s watery eyes, both hoping to stretch this moment for eternity, both knowing they couldn’t.

“I love you Callum.” Rayla whispered with a tiny voice.

“I love you Rayla.” He replied as he closed the distance. Elves around them gasped as they kissed openly. It lasted only a few seconds, but it was all they had and they made the most of it. Eventually they broke their kiss, still staring in each other’s eyes. Callum saw her fear and uncertainty, and made up his mind. He stepped back, took off his slash with his sketchbook and handed it to her. Rayla’s eyes went wide and looked at him questionably.

“I know you’ll take care of it. This way, you can see me when you want to.” 

“But, what about you?”

Callum smiled weakly. “I can always make more. Take care Rayla.” 

Rayla quickly stepped forwards and pressed her lips against his, then let go. Words could not convey her gratitude. She hoped that this might. 

Callum stepped a few feet backwards. He still felt the tingle of Rayla’s lips on his. He looked at the elf he loved as he stretched out his arms.

“Manus. Pluma. Volantis!” Magic transformed his arms into mighty wings. With one last look at Rayla he brought his wings down and shot upwards, away from the spire. Rayla looked on with tearful eyes as the man she loved flew into the sunset, disappearing in the distance.

-/-/-/-

The flight was long and landing was rough. Their ride skidded to a stop and Viren, still weak from his recent voyage into the afterlife, was flung from the large butterfly monstrosity. 

“Ah, my apologies Lord Viren.” Aaravos’ voice came from the mouth of the creature.

Claudia led herself glide from the creature and stroked its wings, admiring the mesmerizing patterns of blue and purple. “Thank you Aaravos! You know, you’re quite pretty!” 

The creature regarded the black-and-white haired girl with curiosity. “That is remarkably nice of you to say so. Unfortunately, not all would agree with your… analysis.” 

Viren watched the exchange uneasy. He felt that he had lost control of the situation. “So, Aaravos, why have you brought us here? I know that this is the _wrong_ direction for the border. We’ve gone too far north!” 

The creature turned its large pupil less eyes towards him. “Very perceptive. The Kingdom of Neolandia is directly west of here, separated by the great sea and Duren behind that.”

“So why are we here?” Viren pressed. He looked around himself. The landscape was barren. They were in some kind of mountainous region. 

“We are where we want to be. Beyond that ridge-” the creature extended an appendage, “lies the true seat of power in Xadia. The stones and stars tell me there will be an important meeting here soon. We want to be here to find out what has been discussed.” 

Claudia moved towards the ridge and gasped. “Dad! You must come and see this!” 

Viren moved cautiously towards the ridge, keeping one eye on the creature at all times. It watched him impassively. When Viren peeked over the ridge, he could understand Claudia’s amazement. Before him was a huge crater. It went on for miles, and while the slope wasn’t too steep, it was quite deep. But in the middle, it came up again. Something of a large rock rested in the middle. 

“It is called ‘Garlath’s Justice.’” the creature supplied. “Supposedly, in ancient times, the deity Garlath threw this stone down at his enemies. Judging by the crater, the impact must have been felt for miles and miles.” 

Claudia whistled. “Whew, he sure didn’t mess around! Talk about overkill!” 

Viren eyed the stone, then turned towards the creature. “So what will happen here?”

“A dragonmoot.” It spoke ominously. 

-/-/-/-

The moon was full tonight. Rayla didn’t have to stand outside to feel it. But she wasn’t outside. She was on a bed in a room in the Storm Spire, clutching Callum’s sketchbook to her chest. She had been crying most of the afternoon. She was reminded of when Callum was comatose because of his use of dark magic. The pain in her chest was similar. The feeling of loss. The fear of never seeing her friend again. It was devastating.

A knock came on her door. Rayla quickly swallowed her grief, wiped her face and put the sketchbook beneath her pillow and opened it. Ibis stood on the other side.

“So, do you like the room?”

She gave him a weak smile. “I mean, as far as one can like a room, sure!” She looked back at her new home-away-from-home. It was cosy. The room was maybe five by ten feet. It had two enclosed beds build in the smooth stone wall left and right, and most of the wall had been decorated with basic patterns. Opposite the door was a small shrine where a _luneflame_ was burning. Rayla thought it was a nice touch. The ever-burning candle was bright enough to flood the room in a soft, blue light. It was an item made by a moon arcanum mage, which made her feel more at home.

She looked back at Ibis, and studied his face for a bit. He had a certain smile on his face and she guessed his intend. “This is where my parents lived, isn’t it?”

Ibis smiled broadly at her. “Very astute Rayla of Xadia!”

She made a face. “Do you have to say ‘Xadia’ behind my name every time? We all know I’m from Xadia you know!”

“Oh but I insist!” Ibis made a bow. “The dragon king himself proclaimed it so. You are an official hero of Xadia, thus, you carry the title! It would do you no justice to hide the fact.”

Rayla breathed sharply through her nose. _More changes._ She still wasn’t sure this was the path she wanted. Maybe she just had to get used to it?

“Well, anyway, you didn’t come here to socialize with me I recon. How can I help ya?” She plastered a smile on her face, trying to bottle up any uncertainty deep within her.

“Well, actually, the queen has asked for you. I believe it has to do with the dragonmoot.”

“Oh!”

-/-/-/-

For the umpteenth time Rayla entered the great hall. Queen Zubeia was resting her head in the grass, while little Zym was nowhere to be seen, but his snores could be heard coming from the top of the nest. The dragon queen opened her eyes, but didn’t raise her head, just regarding Rayla silently. Rayla stood before her and bowed.

“You send for me my queen?”

“Yes, I did.” The queen was silent for a moment before continuing. “How are you Rayla?”

Rayla was taken aback by the question. “Oh, um, fine your majesty. How ‘bout yourself?” She mentally slapped herself for sounding so informal with the dragon queen. But the queen didn’t seem to mind.

“Tired. Very happy, but very tired. When I went to sleep all those weeks ago, my heart was nearly empty. And now, everything has changed! There is hope again!” Then, the giant dragon’s eyes turned sad. “But… I do miss Avizandum. I miss him so much.”

Rayla stood in shock as the dragon queen confessed her feelings. She felt tears well up inside of her, but she dared not show them, not even now the dragon queen was showing her own.

“I’m telling you this, because I feel terrible for something else. I saw how you looked at the human, at… prince Callum.”

Rayla felt the blood flow to her head. She couldn’t deny it; too many had seen them kiss, and she was certainly not ashamed of it!

“Uhm… yes?” she ventured uncertain.

“I just wanted to know if there was anything I could do to make your stay here more bearable, now that…” the queen was silent for a while, trying to find a diplomatic way to finish the sentence.

Rayla had already done so in her head. _Now that fate has backhanded me yet again? Or that you’ve so suddenly separated us?_ She respected the queen, but she was angry as well.

“Now that you’ll come to live with me and little Azymondias. I believe you call him Zym?”

Rayla grinned, feeling shy at the comment and sudden change of topic. “Yeah… Azymondias is a real mouth full. Ez- King Ezran decided on the nickname, and it kind of stuck.”

The dragon queen made no comment, but let out a grunt of approval.

Rayla rubbed her arms, feeling uncertain. “As for staying here… I don’t know. Do I have to stay here forever?”

The dragon looked a bit shocked at the question, and contemplated on how to answer. “Well, you _are_ captain of the dragonguard. And currently, the only dragonguard we have. Would you prefer not to be then?”

“Uhm… can I be honest?”

“Please.”

Rayla let out a deep breath. There was still an internal debate going on about how much she could tell the dragon queen. Sure, she was her Lady, and Rayla was her willing subject, but that didn’t mean they had to get to know each other on a personal level. Then again, they did have a lot in common. They both had lost people they loved during the war and while love did blossom in the form of a boyfriend or a thought-to-be-lost son, the scars of that loss were still present. Rayla at least could dream and hope that she would be reunited with Callum someday. Queen Zubeia would have no such hopes… Rayla made up her mind and decided to take a leap of faith.

“It is a great honour to be chosen for the dragonguard, and in all honesty? I think I’m better suited for it than I was for being an assassin.” She said the last part with a wry grin, then she continued. “But being cooped up here for the rest of my life? I don’t know. I had never thought about it, and now that I’m here, I feel…” She looked at the dragon. _Be honest, Rayla_ she thought to herself. “I feel trapped. I like being here, and I like that I now get to watch Zym every day, but being here forever?” She put her arms around her chest, feeling cold all of a sudden. “Being away from Callum forever?” she added much quieter. “I don’t know.”

The dragon regarded her for a while. “I understand. Thank you for your honesty.”

Rayla looked at the dragon. “Since we’re being honest, how does this sit with you?”

“What does?”

“That I love Callum.” Rayla pressed. She groaned inwardly. It sounded so awkward!

“Why would my opinion matter?”

“Well… “ She paused. She had no answer to that. Or actually, she had. Deep down, she wanted to feel approval. She wanted the feeling that what she was doing was right, that what she was feeling was right. She looked to the ground and hugged her chest tightly.

“I’m not opposed to it Rayla.” The dragon queen rumbled. “In fact, your love may be a driving force to bring Xadia and the human kingdoms together. Do you know how rare it is for an elf and a human to fall in love? What you have is truly special!” The queen was trying to cheer her up.

“But how can I do that, when he’s over there and I’m stuck here?” She looked up. The dragon appeared blurry in her eyes. _No, please, not now. Not in front of the queen!_

“Well, then maybe we can help each other out. In fact; I called you here because we need more dragonguard. There were eight originally.”

Rayla nodded and wiped her tears. She knew because of her parents.

“If you can find and train seven other dragonguard, then perhaps we could set up a system for one of them to leave the Storm Spire for a while.”

Rayla mulled it over. The queen was giving her the tiniest bit of hope that things could still turn out for the best. But the queen handed her a lot of responsibility in that regard. “You want me to find other elves?” Rayla asked in a surprised voice.

“Of course. You are the captain of the dragonguard. This responsibility rests upon you. But Ibis will help you get started.”

“Alright. Uhm… I suppose I should get started then huh?”

The dragon yawned and nodded. Rayla turned to leave, but stopped at the entrance.

“Oh, Ibis said something about the dragonmoot?”

“Ah… good of you. I almost forgot. The dragonmoot will be in two weeks. Myself and Azymondias must make an appearance, so you will have to travel with us. You have until then to find others for the guard.”

Rayla paled a bit. “Oh-kay. No problem!” She stammered. She bowed awkwardly and stumbled out of the great hall. _Right_ , she thought to herself. _I just need to find the finest warriors in the land. But no pressure! Oh by the way, we’re also going to a super important meeting, so you have to get it done in like, two weeks!_ She groaned out loud as she made her way back to her chamber. _No pressure my arse!_

-/-/-/-

She walked out of the halls and upwards to the plateau at the peak of the Storm Spire. She was angry. Even though the queen had been sympathetic and even had given her hope that she would see Callum again, she still was angry because of the situation she was in. _What did I do to deserve this!?_ she thought. She didn’t have an answer and so decided to vent her anger by doing some training under the full moon.

It was a clear sky, with the light of the full moon radiating down upon her. As she stood at the peak, she felt a surge of power and emotions coarse through her. She grabbed her swords, flicked them open and held them outstretched. She looked towards the moon. She felt it’s power, and let it overwhelm her. Her body transformed. Her form became dark and translucent. Dark shadowy wisps flowed over her form. Her eyes turned black, except for her violet pupils. She trembled. The last time she felt this power, she had fought Runaan. She felt the stab in her chest as she thought of him. He had always been like a father to her, even though he was strict and demanding. Knowing that he passed that night… That the last interaction she had with him was fighting…

She closed her eyes and struck with her sword. She stabbed and swung upward. In her mind, unseen enemies fell before her. She twirled and slashed around the plateau. Her thoughts flowed freely. She thought of the moments she shared with Callum, about how she almost lost him to dark magic. About how they travelled through the midnight desert.

Her movements became more intense, but also had more grace as her emotions became more positive. She thought of the embarrassment of her first kiss with him. That embarrassment fled away quickly as the next night Callum showed her he felt the same way. Her heart fluttered as they had travelled all the way to the spire, hand in hand, feeling completely comfortable with each other. Then the pain returned as she thought of the final battle. Of her inability to come even close to Viren. At the end, she was prepared to make the final sacrifice. It was something that she was secretly very proud off. That she wouldn’t run away, that she would go on and fight until the end.

But Callum had saved her. As she twirled around at the centre of the plateau, her arms outstretched and her blades slicing through the air, her thoughts returned to how he had jumped after her, not knowing for certain if his spell would work. Yet it did and he had plucked her out of the air. Slowly, her spinning came to a stop. She was out of breath. Her arms dropped to her side. She stared at the moon and felt the wetness at her cheeks.

She loved him. Of course she was in love with him, but she instinctually felt that their connection ran deeper than that.

And now he was gone. She didn’t know when she would see him again. Secretly she wondered and feared whether she would see him at all.

She sank to her knees and cried. And this time, there was no sweet human prince nearby to comfort her.


	5. Dragonmoot

The caravan took nearly two weeks to reach the border, but it took only a few days for Callum to become absolutely insufferable to his travel companions. The small caravan had caught up with the much slower army and they were now traveling back towards the human kingdoms. Callum was in a sour mood most of the time. Ezran guessed it was about Rayla, but Callum fervently denied that. “I don’t miss her. I’m not going to miss her. You know why? Because I’ll be back with her any day now!” He had exclaimed. Several people of the delegation shook their head at that. He even got into a fight with Soren who was trying to keep his cool as he had, as he put it, just joined the ‘good guys’. However, his patience was severely tested and eventually Amaya had to come between them to prevent an all-out bout.

Then Callum tried bargaining with his aunt to get the caravan to move faster, but Amaya had shut that down pretty quickly by explaining that the lives of many wounded soldiers depended on their travel pace and no, they could not speed up because he missed getting kisses from his new elf girlfriend! She had walked away before Callum could sign any response.

After that, Callum became depressed and awfully quiet. He wouldn’t speak to others and he wouldn’t eat well. All he did was draw sketches on random pieces of paper he found in the camp. Opili was furious with him. “This is the fourth time he has ruined my provision checklist with his sketches! Not to mention what he has done with my draft for the proposal for trade caravans! It was a very decent proposal, now it’s an elf with a daisy crown!” Ezran tried to placate everyone and asked Callum to at least keep his impulses in check until they got home.

But when the border came in sight, Callum cheered up again. He rode his horse up to the front to join his comrades. “Well, looks like we’re almost there!” he said rather cheerfully to no one in particular. “Our worries are finally over. You know what? These last few days were hard on all of us, but I think we can be proud of how we all got through them.” He was too busy talking to notice everyone around him was giving him dead glares.

It was Queen Aanya who rode up next to him. “Are you alright prince Callum?” She eyed him with curiosity. She had met him before, but hadn’t spoken to him often, certainly not in the past.

“Oh, I’m fine. I’ve just accepted that I still have to wait a few days before I see Rayla again.”

“Rayla… the elf girl, right?” Callum nodded.

“So, you two are together then?”

“Y-yeah, I guess so? I mean, we kissed and stuff, so, yeah, I mean, of course we are together now!” Callum was rambling. They never really talked about the nature of their relationship, and suddenly, that thought began to nag him. _It’s okay_ , he thought. _I’ll see her again in a couple of days._

“Well, I’m glad for you. It will show people how wrong they all are about elves, especially since you are the prince or Katolis.”

He smiled at that. “Thank you Queen Aanya.”

She returned the smile. “And it’s good that you stay positive too. It will still take weeks before we’re back home, and we need good leadership to keep our spirits up!” 

Callum paled. “W-wait wait wait. Why would it take weeks to get back home? I thought we didn’t have to sneak past anything anymore? We can just, like, march back across?”

It was Gren who gave the answer. “The border passage has been destroyed. The Sun Elves have promised their help in building a bridge across the lava stream. However, that might take a long time.” Gren rode up to them and pointed south. “If we can’t make a proper bridge quickly, we’ll have to take the wounded south and transport them by sea. I recon it’ll be at least another month before we’re all back.”

“What!?”

In the end, Callum spend only two days at the border, repeating the cycle of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance on a daily basis, and not necessarily in that order. But one evening he approached his little brother in a moment of clarity. His little brother stood before his tent, looking in his bag for leftover jelly-tarts. Bait, his brothers’ eternal companion, eyed him hungerly as he did.

“Please Callum, not again.” Ezran groaned as he saw him approach, feeding Bait another stale jelly-tart. Callum sighed. He had earned his brother’s ire these last few days, and rightly so.

“Ezran, I came to apologize.”

“Oh… just… apologize? You’re not going to try to get the Sun Elves to carry us across the lava again?”

Callum scratched his head. “Hey, I was desperate okay? Anyway, that was what I wanted to talk to you about.” He took a deep breath. “I’m going crazy here.”

Ezran looked unimpressed. “Yeah, we noticed.”

Callum held up his hands in surrender. “I know I know. Look, I can’t help it. I miss her. A-and I know I’m acting like a child-“

“Hey!” Ezran looked offended at his brother.

“Like, a spoiled child. Like a brat.” He sighed. “It’s just that… with her… everything made sense you know? And I want to go back to her.”

Ezran didn’t know what to say. He understood love, but he didn’t really understand the kind of love Rayla and Callum had. He had never known his mother or step-mother, so he had no comparison. He didn’t know how to comfort him either, not with words, so he just went to him and gave him a hug. Callum accepted it.

“Well, anyway, I came to say goodbye.”

Ezran’s eyes widened in alarm. “Goodbye? Where are you going!?”

Callum straightened his back and looked over towards the lava. He couldn’t see the lava river, but he saw its red glow. “I’m no use to anyone right now, and I keep annoying people. But there is something I can do.” Now he looked at Ezran, and Ezran saw a look in Callum’s eyes that he hadn’t seen before.

Callum knelt to one knee before Ezran and spoke. “King Ezran of Katolis, I hereby request permission to go on ahead of the caravan and to fly back to the capital by myself.” He said as officially as he could muster. Ezran saw that his brother was dead serious, but couldn’t quite believe it.

“Please Callum, what are you doing? This is weird.”

Callums eyes softened. “You’re my little brother Ezran, but you are also my king now, and I have to ask you stuff. I thought that this was a good start. If I fly ahead, I wouldn’t be bothering people. And, I can prepare our home for your arrival.”

Ezran looked at his brother. It made sense, but… “Then I’ll be alone here!”

Callum smiled, trying to cheer him up. “Really Ezran? You still have Bait. And Queen Aanya isn’t much older than you. She seems pretty nice.”

Ezran shrugged. “I guess, but she’s all grown-up like.”

“I know. Hey, maybe you can get her addicted to jelly-tarts!” he said with a wink.

“No way! Then we have not enough jelly-tarts for all of us!” his brother objected. They laughed. Eventually Ezran settled down. Callum still looked at him questioningly. “Alright. I know how much you want this.” he cleared his throat and stood up straight. With as much posh as he could muster, Ezran said; “As king of Katolis I give you permission!”

Callum made a regal, if somewhat mocking bow. They both shared a laugh and Callum rustled his hair.

“Take care little brother.” Callum said.

“You too.” Ezran replied.

Callum backed away, cast his spell, and disappeared into the night sky.

-/-/-/-

With a deep sigh Rayla put down the quill and rolled up the scroll. Ibis had helped her write a scroll to every mayor city and town, calling for them to present their best warriors to the base of the Storm Spire in three weeks’ time. There the warriors would have to prove themselves. Only seven could be chosen after all. Rayla had doubted the wisdom of limiting the guard to eight, but Ibis had explained the wisdom of the tradition to her.

“To be an effective and elite fighting force, the warriors must know each other through and through. So the force can’t be too big. We are also asking them to live here, permanently.”

Rayla had swallowed hard at that moment, but hid it with a cough.

“Only very few warriors would fit our requirements. Be prepared that not all spots will be filled right away.”

Rayla thought about that. “True, and we must make sure that we have a balanced skillset. I know that the only reason both my father and my mother were chosen together was because they wielded different weapons.”

Ibis nodded. “Yes, that’s true.”

Rayla gestured at the pile of scrolls next to her. “So how will we get these where we want ‘em?”

Ibis just smiled as he supplied his one-word answer. “Dragons.”

After their discussion, they both decided that it would be best to delay the introduction of new recruits in the dragonguard until after the dragonmoot. Xadia was a large country. It could take a while for the messages to reach the right people, and even longer for them to respond. But Ibis was confident that three weeks was enough time, especially with the help of dragons as their messengers. Queen Zubeia agreed to this in the end.They were all confident that the queen and Zym would be relatively safe at the dragonmoot. Most of the dragons of Xadia would be there after all.

“Are you going to come to the dragonmoot as well Ibis?”

Ibis laughed. “Me? No, I have no business there. I am not a dragon after all, though I try to keep good relations with Queen Zubeia.”

“Right, but I do get to go because I’m on babysitting duty.” She responded, looking offended but not really meaning it.

“Basically. Do be careful with little Azymondias. His presence will mean a lot to the other dragons.”

 _Right, got to keep him safe then._ She found herself fondling the handles of her weapon on her back. “Do you expect any dangers?”

Ibis shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never been to Garlath’s Justice before.”

Rayla had heard of the place. Supposedly, in ancient times, Garlath the Annihilator had saw fit to dispense swift justice to some enemy abusing magic, and threw a stone with such force that it devastated the lands around them. The crater was a monument to that event.

“Well, it’ll be interestin’ to see what the fuss is about.” She said as she had sealed the last scroll with a magic ribbon not unlike the ribbon she was once bound by. These could only be opened by the town eldest. Rayla yawned. She had worked hard these last few days. Ibis had shown her around the Storm Spire and explained her various duties to her. He would stay at the Storm Spire with a dragon once the queen, the prince and herself would leave for the dragonmoot, but after that, she’d be on her own.

She locket the room which she used as her office and made her way back to her bedroom. Ibis would keep watch tonight, and she was keen on getting some sleep. She undressed and put her swords next to the bed. _I should give them some attention tomorrow. They’ll go dull if I don’t,_ she thought. Before she blew out the luneflame that illuminated her room, she did one more thing that she had added to her nightly ritual. She grabbed the sketchbook from beneath the pillow and leafed through it. The book was halfway full with sketches of all kinds. She recognized many people she’d met on her travels. Others, she didn’t quite recognize or understand. She blushed slightly at a sketch Callum had made of her wearing his scarf from when they tried to sneak past Sol Regem. But her favourite was one of his last sketches. It was a portrait of them together, just after he had saved her. In the sketch, his wings folded over her as she nudged his head with hers. They were smiling. They both looked so happy together. She felt a warmth spreading from her chest. Looking at his sketches made her feel close to him. It made his absence bearable, even though she knew it could still take a long time before she saw him again. _It’s going to be alright,_ she thought. “Sweet dreams, my sweet prince.” She placed a kiss on the page and went to bed.

-/-/-/-

The giant crater loomed before them, just as the sun had set. Rayla whistled. It was bigger than expected, and it was filled with dragons already. She saw dragons of every shape and size imaginable. She marvelled at the sight. Even within the species, dragons could have many differences that would make them unique, like the colour patterns of their scales, patches of fur around their head or the shape of their horns. _Kind of like elves, now that I think about it._ She touched her own horns with one hand, following the shape and curve of them. With her other hand she held Zym, as they both sat at the back of Queen Zubeia. Suddenly, the dragon swooped downwards and Rayla quickly grabbed a patch of fur on the back to hold on.

The last few days before leaving for the dragonmoot had been a rush. She already received a few replied from the various cities. She would be busy training and sorting the various elves and deciding who would be good enough to be part of the dragonguard. Apart from planning all that, she was also busy cleaning up the place. Four months without the dragonguard had left the place dusty. On one of her cleaning ventures, she had found a case full of medallions with dragon iconography on them. They were small, maybe double the size of a coin, but they were beautifully crafted. When she asked Ibis about them, he told her they were made especially for the dragonguard.

“It enables them to understand Draconic,” he had told her. “You should wear one! It is one of the perks of becoming a dragonguard!”

She had put one on the clasp of her belt. She wasn’t one for jewellery, but she couldn’t argue that it would be a handy item to have for the upcoming dragonmoot, especially if she was allowed to wear it.

They landed in the middle of the crater, close to the rock in the centre. Several dragons bowed their heads to the ground. Rayla released Zym, being able to fly on his own now, but not very fast or far, and quickly slid down to the ground. She saw that King Aureum Umbra was watching them intently, and bowed before him.

“Welcome Queen Zubeia, prince Azymondias and captain Rayla of the dragonguard.” He announced. “We have awaited your arrival with much anticipation. Many here are eager to pay the prince their respects.” Various dragons now craned their necks to get a good look at the young prince. Once Zym noticed, he quickly flew down to hide between the legs of his mother. The other dragons snorted. Rayla imagined they were laughing.

“Very well then. Queen Zubeia, please join me at your rightful place on this seat of power.“ Queen Zubeia swooped up and landed on the stone, which had ample room to support the both of them. Zym quickly flew after her.

“Thank you, king Aureum Umbra. And thank you all for being here!” The dragon queen’s voice rang over the crater as she recounted the events of two weeks past. Rayla stood at the bottom of the large stone, listening to the queen’s speech. She noted a certain rumbling in the dragon’s voice, something that wasn’t present before. She figured the queen must be addressing the crowd in Draconic. Just to test it, she took off the clasp of her belt. Immediately the queen’s graceful voice was replaced by a roaring of tones and sounds. She quickly put the clasp back on. _Much better to listen_ to, she noted.

Rayla kept up her guard, and scanned the surroundings. The terrain was bare, and mostly flat. There were a few large builders in the crater, and no vegetation. But she openly admired the dragons. They were all sorts of colours and she had to admire the new king as well. His white scales in combination with his dark-blue wings were a beautiful sight to behold. One dragon caught her attention however, if only because she didn’t notice it before. At the edge of the crater sat a large dark shadow. At first, Rayla thought it another large rock hidden in the shadows. But the moon couldn’t create such a shadow from above, and then the black patch moved. It turned out to be a dragon, completely black, and quite different from the rest. She had never seen such a dragon before. _Maybe a stardragon?_ she thought. Rayla squinted to get a good look at it, but was then distracted as King Aureum Umbra spoke.

“Let the following be decreed; Xadia is at peace with the human kingdom of Duran and Katolis. The terms are as follows; A checkpoint will be established at the border. Here, small delegations of humans, bearing the royal seal of Duren or Katolis, can enter Xadia unmolested to seek trade or ask for audience.” He paused, gauging the reaction of the other dragons. The reaction was mixed, with some grunting approval while others roaring their displeasure. After a moment, the king continued. “With Neolandia, Del Bar and Evenere we are still at war. Our original plan was to exterminate all humans. I want to know if we will still do this, now that we have peace with two human kingdoms.” He raised his claw, and brought it down on the rock with a resounding slam. “I would hear thy opinion on the matter.”

The discussion that followed took them well into the night. Rayla watched and listened with mixed emotions as some dragons proclaimed that they should use the opportunity to exterminate as many as they could now that their forces were divided. Others argued caution, in particular the dragons who had witnessed first-hand that dark magic could protect the humans from their breath, and that human machines could bring the dragons down. Very few dragons argued that humans were worth saving now that peace was established. Rayla was worried about that. Even though the queen also voiced her opinion on the matter, not many dragons were willing to follow her that blindly. Rayla thought that it was also a matter of many dragons still remembering how not half a year ago the previous king was slain by humans. She couldn’t help but think that, had she not met Callum and Ezran, she herself would still hate the humans just because.

In the end, a motion was put forth that, as long as the other human kingdoms did not threaten Xadia, there would be no invasion or extermination. The decisive factor in this decision was that though there was now peace, most dragons agreed that this peace would be shattered when thousands upon thousands of human lives would be extinguished. And in light of their inability to effectively fight an army infused with dark magic, as proven during the last encounter, the dragons agreed that it was better to watch, wait and learn.

“Very well, it is decided then. Messengers, spread this decree through all of Xadia. Though the elves are to be on guard, they are to not harm any human visitors carrying the royal seals of Katolis and Duren.” The dragons roared, some shooting their breath in the air like fireworks as the climax of an intense evening’s discussion. “I hereby end the dragonmoot. Fly well, my friends.” And with that, the dragons started to leave.

Rayla got up. She was glad it was over. The discussion had terrified some part of her. Every time they spoke ill of humans, and how they ought to be killed to the last, she thought of Callum, the human she loved. _I just hope this peace will last…_ As she looked around, she noticed the black dragon she spotted earlier. Although the other dragons had mostly participated in the discussion, this one had remained silent. It hadn’t even moved. She wasn’t the only one who had noticed. King Aurum Umbra snorted as he leaped into the air and glided in the black dragon’s direction. Zym, being curious, decided to fly after him. Rayla started to follow but she was stopped by Queen Zubeia.

“Please wait here. This doesn’t concern you.”

The tone in the queen’s voice didn’t put Rayla at ease, but she had no choice but to wait.

-/-/-/-

“Greetings, Zeron.” The king landed before the black dragon, who was lying on the ground casually, as if sleeping, its eyes closed. The king snorted as it got no response. He grumbled and spoke with a warning tone. “You’d do well to show me the proper respect, lest there be… consequences.”

Now the black dragon opened its eyes, which were blue and glowing with power. Slowly it raised its head from the ground to regard king Aureum Umbra. The black dragon was smaller, maybe half the size of the other arch dragon. It had various spikes on its head, and similar spikes ran along its back, all the way to the tip of its tail. It had no fur patches and was all scales. The dragon regarded the king before him.

“Threats do little to me, king Aureum.” It looked around the crater, now mostly empty. Its vision rested on a large grey boulder nearby. “Tell me what you would have of me.” It said, without looking back. Its voice was deep.

The king narrowed its eyes at the smaller dragon who seemed so unrespectful. He spoke with strained patience in his voice. “You have certain gifts that I would see you use. There are certain individuals who played a key part in saving young Azymondias.” He nodded to the young dragon, who was creeping up on Zeron, more curious than afraid. “One of them has earned my gratitude and is appointed the captain of the dragonguard.”

The black dragon shifted its eyes to the elf in the distance. “The girl, I take?”

“Yes indeed. The other is a young human mage.” King Aureum Umbra moved closer to Zeron, his voice turning into a whisper. “I would you use your powers to determine their trustworthiness and allegiance.”

Finally, the dragon named Zeron looked up towards King Aureum Umbra. “Why is this of importance to you?”

“Does a king need a reason to command!?” the king bristled.

“Yes.” Said Zeron, unfazed. “And might I remind you that I’m _not_ your subject.”

The black dragon stood up and stretched it wings for a bit, before taking a few steps. Its gaze flicked back to the grey boulder.

King Aureum Umbra watched the black dragon retreat from him. He snarled, but tried to remain on topic. “The human mage is connected to the sky arcanum, a feat unprecedented.” The king admitted hesitantly. “But I smell dark magic on him nonetheless. He is of Katolis. I want to know if he will be a threat. As for Rayla of Xadia,” he said, looking back to the elf girl, “I suspect she is attached to this human. I want to know where her heart truly lies, for she guards the future of Xadia.” His tail encircled prince Azymondias protectively.

Zeron snorted. “Yet you let her protect the little one?”

“I do not doubt that she will protect the prince with her life. But I want to know what would happen if she had to choose between the prince, or her own kind.”

The black dragon grumbled. “Very well. I will see what I can find out.” He spread is wings to take off, but the king stopped him.

“One more thing. We still haven’t recovered the body of the dark mage. We think he might still be alive.” The black dragon listened while regarding him stoically, then turned his gaze back to the grey boulder.

“Find out what you can about him. All life in Xadia might depend upon it.”

The black dragon grinned, for the first time showing emotion. “That won’t be a problem.” And he took off. King Aureum Umbra watched the black dragon leave. More than once had he wished for simpler times. He nudged Zym forward and made his way back to the queen.

-/-/-/-

The trio watched the king and queen of Xadia leave, but remained silent in the crater long after they were gone. They had no choice either. The spell that disguised them as a grey boulder also muted any sound they made. After an hour had passed, Aaravos dropped the spell.

“Finally,” Claudia muttered. “I thought we would be stuck here forever!”

Viren stretched his limbs, having stayed seated for far too long. He watched the skies with trepidation, before turning back to the creature that spoke with Aaravos’ voice. “He saw us, didn’t he.” It was more of a statement than a question.

Aaravos hesitated before answering. “Yes, though I do not know how that was possible.”

Viren made a groan of frustration. “Then they know we were here! They will attack us any moment now! We need to get out of here!”

Claudia laughed. “We’ll be fine dad! Remember, we got an anti-dragon staff right here! We can keep them off of your back!”

“The girl’s courage is admirable, though I doubt the staff will do much against their claws. However,” Aaravos spoke, as it watched the night sky, “I do not think we need to worry. This black dragon does not seem to be on the side of Xadia. It did not reveal our presence to the dragon king.”

Viren considered this. “A strange thing for a dragon… a neutral party then?”

“Perhaps…” Aaravon did not supply any more information. Viren thought that the elf-turned-bug would know more about this, but he was not forthcoming, and Viren did not know how to pry that information out of him.

“Alright, let’s consider our next move. The dragons declared they will not move against the other human kingdoms unless they will directly threaten Xadia. That will give us some room to work with.” Claudia watched her dad speak with interest, glad to hear his confidence returning to him. “If we can convince the people of Neolandia, Del Bar and Evenere that Xadia is still a threat, perhaps we can unite them against both Xadia and the other kingdoms.”

“A bold plan Viren. How do you want to achieve this?” Aaravos said with a flattering tone.

Viren thought for a moment. “We must train more dark magic users to bolster our strength. We have been too cautious in its use. We must go further than we have ever gone before.” His eyes rested on Claudia. “You, my precious daughter, will play an important part in this. Your charm and your power will be instrumental in convincing the people of those kingdoms the importance of studying dark magic.”

Claudia’s eyes lit up. _Finally, dark magic would be accepted through all the kingdoms. Finally, everyone would understand the necessity of it!_

“But at the same time, we must be cautious, and very subtle. If Xadia finds out about this, they will attack without mercy.”

If the creature could smile, it did so now. It seemed positively gleeful with the prospect.

“Very well Viren, that sounds just wonderful. To where will we go first?”

Viren thought of a warm land ruled by the sun and currently by a dying ruler without an heir. “We will go to Neolandia.”

-/-/-/-

Ezran opened his eyes, disturbed by what he had witnessed. He had felt Zym’s excitement and when he focused, he saw the mass of dragons, all assembled in the crater. Zym hadn’t known the importance of the meeting, but Ezran had, and he had followed most of it through his connection with the dragon prince. He was glad with the outcome, but then came this black dragon, this Zeron. He had seen and heard everything up until the point that the dragons finally left the crater. Ezran looked up into the dark sky, the same one where his brother had disappeared into a few hours ago. “Oh no,” he whispered, as he realised that he had no way to warn either of them.


	6. New Faces

Shouts erupted from the castle. An alarm sounded, and various guards grabbed bows and crossbows from the towers. Nobody was sure what was going on. All they knew was that something was spotted in the sky, and it was headed towards the castle, _fast!_ Before the guards could comprehend what was happening, Callum had already landed in the courtyard! 

Several guards had pointed their bows at him and a few guards approached him with drawn swords. The mysterious person in the courtyard had giant wings, which suddenly disappeared and were replaced with arms glowing with blue tattoos.

“Elves!” One of the guards shouted. He pointed his crossbow at the figure, only to be quickly ordered to stand down by their commander.

“Don’t shoot! That’s the prince!” The commander’s voice shrieked, panicking now that he realised that they had almost shot down royalty.

Callum stared at the guards incredulously. He didn’t expect this kind of welcome. “Uhm… Hello?” He looked around and saw the various guards with swords and bows out, very unsure of what to do right now. “I’m…back?”

“Prince Callum!” One of the guards that he vaguely recognized as a captain within the castle approached him. “You’re back!” The captain looked flustered.

“That’s what I said yes… So… how’s everyone doing?” Callum said nonchalantly.

“I…I think you’d better ask the crow master.” The captain looked at the new markings on the prince’s bare arms with uncertainty. “So… are you a mage now?”

Callum nodded slowly, gauging the captain’s reaction.

“Incredible…” He whispered. To the other guards he shouted, “Sheath your weapons and salute! The prince has returned!” Various cheers erupted from the guards and other servants who came out. Callum gave weak wave and quickly fled inside.

Callum walked into the keep. It was strange to walk here after being absent for so long. In truth, there were times that they had been away at the Banterlodge for longer than that, but those times spend building snowmen and sledging seemed to fly by, while his adventure with Ezran and Rayla had seemed to take much longer. The keep was strangely silent. Callum made his way to the crow master. On his way there, he sighted some servants who looked shocked to see him there, but almost no guards. He realized the castle and keep within were almost deserted. _Where are all the soldiers?_ he thought. _Did lord Viren really summon them all to the war with Xadia?_ A knot started to form in his stomach. _If that were true, then Katolis was almost defenceless!_ Callum didn’t fear an attack from Xadia, but he couldn´t get the thought out of his head that the other kingdoms might view them as an enemy after recent events.

As Callum walked into the crow masters’ office, he was shocked by the enormous amount of paper strewn across the room. What once were neat piles were now just heaps of pieces of paper, roughly sorted in some manner not discernible by Callum. Various cages with crows dangled from the ceiling. And in the midst of it sat the shivering heap that was the crow master. He looked up to Callum with wide eyes. 

“Prince Callum! You’re back!” His lips started to quiver, and soon he was bawling. “Oh finally, finally! Someone else is in command!” He leaped to Callum on his knees and grabbed the sleeves of Callum’s pants.

Callum could do nothing but stare, not quite understanding what was happening. “Eehhh… crow master? What’s going on?” 

Sniffling and sobbing the crow master told him that when Viren left, all the important officials left with him, and that he was expected to manage the castle in his absence.

“At first it was alright you know.” he said, still sniffling. “I would get some important messages and sort them for when lord Viren returned, and small things like approving additional grocery shopping is something I can still manage. But days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into… more weeks.” He stammered, realising that it couldn’t have been more than three weeks since lord Viren’s departure. 

“Waitwaitwait… Can you actually, you know, manage? I mean, are you qualified, did you go to lord school or something?” 

The Crow Lord shook his head, continuing “I protested of course, but lord Viren said it was an honour that no one should, or could refuse. Lord Viren said that I should do my utmost best for king and country, and that if I should fail, that there would be… consequences.” He said with fear in his voice. 

“Oh! Right. Well… Lord Viren is death, so he’s not in charge anymore.” Callum said thoughtfully. The crow master’s eyes widened. “Lord Viren is dead!? What happened?”

Callum took a deep breath. “Eh, well, that’s a long story, but well we found this egg that was the dragonprince, well, the egg wasn’t but the dragonprince was inside you see, and we traveled to Xadia with an elf but then her hand almost fell off because she didn’t want to kill Ezran, and -” 

The crow master watched and listened dumbfounded as Callum rambled his own chaotic ‘short version’ of his adventures with Ezran, Zym and Rayla. Any sane man would have interrupted Callum or asked him to slow down. However, one doesn’t simply interrupt the prince of Katolis. This went on for about fifteen minutes before Callum finally stopped rambling, totally oblivious to the crow master barely understanding a word of what he was saying.

“- And thats how I got my mage wings! Oh, and Lord Viren probably fell to his death.” 

It was quiet in the room. A few crickets had somehow managed to make their way inside. 

“Right.” said the crow master. Still on his knees before Callum with a confused expression on his face. “Right, of course. So…” he said as he got up. “Shall I…. get you the most important messages first then?”

“Wait, what? I’m not the king!” Callum objected. 

“You’re now the highest court official we have! You are the king’s brother!” The crow master pressed. “And some of these-” he said while gesturing at the piles and piles of messages “are pretty urgent.”

“Alright, alright! Gather your messages. I’ll be in the throne room… throning and stuff.” Callum walked away. _Alright, so I just have to answer a few messages… can do! No problem sir! Not for me! But after that, it’s time to trash Viren’s room!_

-/-/-/-

The rest of the day did not go as Callum had anticipated. The crow master had helped him sort through all of the important messages and Callum could only come to one conclusion; the country was in uproar. Apparently, fielding the biggest human army in recent history and then disappearing from the face of the map does that. Messages came from various city officials asking for what happened in Xadia and for the whereabouts of their soldiers. The crow master informed him that the bulk of the non-urgent messages were from citizens searching for any news of relatives or friends. There were also request for aid, as the absence of the army had led to a rise in banditry in the southern regions of Katolis. Callum sighed. _This is a mess._

The crow master had helped him pen a few letters to send to the Katolian cities giving a brief overview of what had happened in Xadia; Lord Viren was dead, king Ezran was back on the throne, and they were at peace with Xadia. He decided that he would not pen any letters to the other kingdoms however. That was definitely something that the new king should do. Still, rumours would spread. It did worry Callum, but there was little to be done about it.

One thing that cheered him up slightly was to be eating proper food again. Not that he was complaining when he was on the road, but it felt good to be home. _Home…_ he thought. He knew he was home, but it felt empty without Ezran, without Opili, and all the other familiar faces. _Without Rayla…_ Her face flashed across his mind. All of a sudden, the food lost its taste. He grimaced. _What am I doing, dining like this when my friends aren’t here?_ Hesitantly, he finished his meal, reluctant to waste it. But he did feel a little guilty about it. He went to bed early that night, glad to be sleeping in his own bed again, but also sad that he was here, alone, without Rayla, or Ezran or anyone else he could call friend or family. _At least with the caravan, I still had Ezran._ Thinking these thoughts, he slowly drifted into a restless sleep.

-/-/-/-

“…-um.” Drool escaped from the corner of his mouth as he snored on softly, oblivious to the banging on his door.

The banging continued “Prince Callum!”

Callum grumbled. “Hmmm…moon berry juice… your breath smells like-“

A loud crash shook Callum from his dream. Two guards came into his room, the crow master following behind. Callum was instantly awake.

“Wha! What’s going on?!”

“Prince Callum! I-I’m sorry to intrude!” The crow master hastily apologized. “But… they…”

Callum wiped the drool of his face and got out of his bed. “They? Who are ‘they’?”

“The people my prince!” The crow master was pale, clearly desperate. “They are at the gates!”

Callum didn’t waste any words, but went straight to the window. It was on the wrong side of the castle, but when he opened it he could clearly hear the shouting of many voices not too far away. He turned to the guards. “Well what do they want?”

The guards looked at each other, then back at the prince. “We don’t know. They seemed mad, so we figured maybe you could talk some sense into them my prince.”

Callum paled. _Alright, it’s okay. You’re a prince AND a mage. You can do this._ He quickly dismissed the guards and crow master and put on some clothes. _Oh, Ezran is gonna be super mad if I get the castle destroyed!_ He had no idea what was happening outside, but all kinds of different doomsday scenarios appeared in his head. He tried to ignore them. As quickly as he could he ran to the gate and made his way up the battlements.

He gasped. Beneath him were over a hundred people filling up the bridge towards the castle, shouting and throwing stones at the gates. The guards looked at him questionably. “What shall we do sir?”

Callum gritted his teeth. _This isn’t good. They will cause some real damage if they get in. And what do they want!?_ He heard them shouting, but the chaos was too much to make out coherent sentences. He heard the words ‘battle’ ‘viren’ ‘king’ and ‘truth’. He decided that he should tell them something, but speaking in front of all these people terrified him.

He pressed himself against the edge of the battlements, making himself as visible as possible. He waved with his arms and shouted. “Quiet down! Listen up!” The guards made themselves useful and tried to calm the angry crowd. It took a minute, but eventually everyone was staring expectantly at Callum.

“Right… em… thanks for…coming?” he said cautiously. “I know you must have a lot of questions. And I’m not sure if I’m the right person to answer them. King Ezran is on his way here…”

Shouts erupted from the crowd. “King Ezran?” “What about Viren?” “What about my husband?” “Where are our soldiers?” Callum quickly made placating gestures, waving his arms around to somehow gain their attention again.

“R-right, right, I know! The army is on its way here. They will be here in a month.”

“A month!?” “Where are they?” “How did you get here then!?” “We want answers!”

Callum sighed. He wasn’t getting anywhere. He could probably talk some sense into them one-on-one, but as a whole… Suddenly, he spotted something. At the edge of the bridge, a figure in a dark cloak was waving his arms, looking at him. Callum tried to get a better look. The figure appeared to be smiling, and making gestures at a rock he was holding in one hand. He then gave him a thumbs-up as he held the rock out toward him. Callum didn’t know what to make of it. He frowned. _What is he trying to tell me?_ He watched as the man sighed, then mouthed something to him. _What’s with that rock?_ Callum thought. _He’s not going to-_

Before Callum could finish that thought, the rock already sailed through the air. Callum tried to dodge, but, having never been the most dexterous, failed miserably. The rock hit him square in the forehead. Callum yelped and nearly fell back, his vision being blurry. The crowd gasped. “Yes!” the man in the cloak exclaimed while holding up both of his arms like he had just won a prize.

“Guards! Crosbows!” All of a sudden the mood changed. People reacted with fear and anger as the dozen guards stationed at the battlements aimed their crossbows at the crowd.

“Hold! Don’t shoot!” Callum shouted, slightly panicking as things started to escalate. He still had a hand against his head. _Oof! That’s going to leave a mark!_ He looked at the ground and spotted the rock. He immediately noticed paper and string wrapped around it. He scrambled to get it, hoping it would offer a way out of this situation. As it turns out, it did. It read;

_Do magic!_

_Meet people_

_In throneroom!_

Callum frowned. He didn’t want to use magic because he was afraid he would scare them. And meeting commoners in the throne room wasn’t protocol. Still, he had to solve this somehow. He knew the people wanted answers. “I wish Opili was here…” he muttered. He looked at the crowd below. Some were running, others were angry and started chucking rocks as well. _I need to stop this._

Gathering his resolve, he spread his arms, choosing his most impressive but least harmful spell. “Manus, pluma, volantis!” His wings spread and he launched himself from the battlements. People gasped, and some of the guards even dropped their weapons to the ground in shock and wonder. Callum did a quick circle above the crowd, then settled himself on the stone railing of the bridge.

“Alright, listen up!” The crowd was in awe. He now had their undivided attention. “I am not the king, but I will hear you out. Small groups can enter the castle. I will speak with them in the courtyard.” Callum reasoned it was much quicker that way, and wouldn’t break tradition as much. The crowd mumbled, but seemed to accept this. He looked to his left. The man who threw the rock was grinning and gave him two thumbs up. It was a rather young man, maybe about Soren’s age. He had long black hair, bound in a ponytail, pale skin and wore brown undecorated clothing.

Guards opened one gate and a couple rushed through the crowd. “Shall we arrest him your majesty?” one of the guards asked as they reached Callum. Callum shook his head.

“No, let him. He wanted to help. Though his help hurt.” He muttered the last part while rubbing the sore spot on his head.

He spread his wings and flew to the other side of the gate, into the courtyard. There, he instructed the guards to let in groups of at most five people in. He ordered his servants to get some chairs and wine, and for the next few hours he ‘held court in the courtyard’. The people were understandably pretty angry because of the lack of news. Callum told them what he knew, and though it still left a lot of people in doubt whether their loved ones survived the battle, the angry crowd in front of the castle slowly but surely dissipated.

It was late afternoon before the last few people still waiting entered the courtyard. With them was the stone thrower. After telling them all the recent events again (for the 35th time that day. The crow master actually helped him make his story more coherent), the people left. A woman was crying, still unsure of whether her daughter was alive. Her husband comforted her as they walked out of the gate. This left Callum face to face with the young man who threw the rock in his face.

“So…” Callum ventured, unsure how this conversation would go or what the man wanted. “Throwing rocks huh? What’s up with that?”

The man had the good grace to blush and scratched his head. “Um, well, I saw you looking, and I thought, well, he knows what’s up, and I just threw it?” He said sheepishly. “Look, you were supposed to catch it!”

“My prince, we could still throw him in the dungeon.” The crow master supplied.

Callum rubbed his head. “No, leave him.” He looked at the man. “What’s your name.” The man stepped forward and stuck out his hand. “Belt, son of Hanz.” Callum was taken aback by the complete lack of protocol of the man.

“Sir, that’s not proper!” The crow master exclaimed. “Royalty doesn’t shake hands!”

Callum stared at the hand, but didn’t shake it. “Alright Belt, you threw a stone in my face, but gave some good advice as well, so were even. What do you want?” Callum didn’t want to come off as too terse, but his head still hurt and he was losing his patience with this strange fellow.

But Belt didn’t seem put off at all by the circumstances. In fact, he seemed excited as he answered. “To learn magic!”

Callum blinked. Of all the answers he was expecting, it certainly wasn’t _that_! “You… want to learn magic?” Belt eagerly nodded.

“I’ve always wanted to! You know, I applied to lord Viren to be his apprentice, but I never got a reply. Ever since, I’ve been studying, and-“

“Hold on. You applied to be _lord Viren’s apprentice!?_ ”

The young man named Belt suddenly paled. “Is…that a problem?”

Callum sighed, trying to gather his thoughts. _Alright, let’s see. I want to get back to Rayla and study primal magic. To do that, I need to get rid of all the Dark Magic in Katolis. But this guy wants to learn magic…_ He looked at the young man who had waited all day to ask him this question. Callum now really looked at him. He didn’t look like anything special. He was slightly on the small side. While taller than him still, he was definitely smaller than Soren. He didn’t look strong, or especially handsome. Really his only special feature was his long hair kept in a ponytail. Even his clothes were rather plain; a black cloak with brown, somewhat worn robes.

Callum knew that the entire point of him learning magic was so that he could eventually teach others. He didn’t think he’d have to start so soon however. He felt woefully unprepared.

“Why do you want to learn magic?” Callum asked.

Belt hesitated. He looked at the crow master standing behind Callum, and the guards near them. “Well… it’s kind of embarrassing.” He looked at Callum, but Callum just returned a blank stare. The rest of the crowd didn’t look too eager to hear the story. “Em… the short version is that it’s something I want to be good at. I read a lot about magic, and I want to be useful. I think that with magic I can really help people!”

 _I know what that feels like,_ thought Callum, though he didn’t voice those thoughts out loud. “Well, I was planning on getting more humans to try magic, though I wanted to learn a bit more myself first.” He mused. Belt gave him a hopeful look. “Alright, it’s getting late anyway. I’ll help you if you help me. Why don’t you help me sort out Viren’s room? After that’s done, I’ll see if I can give you a lesson or something.” Belt let out a small cheer, causing the guards to roll their eyes.

Callum groaned as he got up. He was frustrated. _So much time wasted… I could have been on my way back already!_ He looked at the sky as it quickly darkened, the sun having set not too long ago. He beckoned Belt and the guards to follow, the crow master he dismissed. Belt quickly fell in step next to the prince, much to Callum’s chagrin. Callum wasn’t one to stand on protocol, but the carefree manner of Belt was putting him on edge. He didn’t know the guy, and didn’t trust him.

“So, why do we need to sort out lord Viren’s room?”

Callum eyed him, then looked away. “You should stop calling him ‘lord’. He’s anything but that. Anyway, he’s dead now. And we need to destroy anything that has to do with dark magic.”

Belt stopped in his tracks. “Wait, what?”

When Callum looked back at him, he saw he was shocked. “We need to destroy everything Viren has, except maybe important things that we can give to King Aureum Umbra.”

Belt looked sad. “But… I thought we were going to do magic.”

Understanding dawned in Callum. “No! No dark magic!” He said hastily. “Look, maybe, if you’re lucky, I can get you to connect to a primal source. But no more dark magic! Is that clear!?” Only when he looked at the shocked expression of the guards did he notice he practically yelled that last part. Belt looked very concerned. After a while, he gave a hesitant nod.

“Okay. No more dark magic.” He said with a small voice. Callum nodded back and opened the door to Viren’s study. It was dark and abandoned, but not unkept.

“Guards, bring us some light, and some food. We’ll be busy tonight.” Callum said with grim determination. Belt just swallowed, unsure of what he had gotten himself into.

-/-/-/-

It wasn’t long after the dragonmoot that the first elves started to arrive at the Storm Spire. They camped at the base, awaiting permission to go up. Ibis kept Rayla informed of the proceedings.

“Various groups have arrived in these last few days. I think it’s safe to assume that all the champions have arrived. So far, we have eighteen candidates, consisting of sunfire elves, moonshadow elves, and skywing elves.”

Rayla nodded and rubbed her eyes. She hadn’t been sleeping well lately. She missed Callum’s presence, and she had been getting strange, muddled dreams and nightmares. She couldn’t quite remember what they were about, but they were distracting. She figured that she was still adjusting to the new situation. She yawned and tried to process what Ibis had told her. “So the usual then. Though I expected at least the earthblood elves to send their delegation as well…”

Ibis shrugged. “Maybe they will get here within the next few days. Anyway, how are the preparations for the tests going?”

Rayla sighed as she looked at the plans on her desk. It was important to test the newcomers in several ways. She knew that the cities and villages of Xadia would send the best of the best, but even so, there were only seven spots left in the dragonguard. She had to be picky.

Rayla leaned back in her chair, staring at the luneflame. Sometimes she wondered if she had just gotten lucky by becoming captain of the dragonguard. She never had to audition or pass any tests. Then again, she had to travel through human lands and back, protecting Zym and her companions along the way. _Yeah, I think I earned it alright_ , she thought. _That whole adventure was probably more dangerous than any test I can think of._

She got up and together with Ibis walked out of the halls onto the plateau. The sun was still low, it was still early morning. Rayla had come to appreciate the sunrise here, on of the only things that comforted her in this strange new place. She looked at Ibis. “Shall we test them then?”

Ibis gave her an appreciative grin. “I wonder how many will make it.” Ibis cast his mage wing spell and flew off into the distance. As soon as he left, three dragons that were perched on the peak leapt after him.

Rayla pondered the tests. The first one was simple; a race to the top. Ibis would cast the Ventus Spiralis spell on them and they would have to get to peak as fast as they could. There would be no winners or losers per sé, it was more for the contestants to show off their stamina. Once at the top, Ibis would fight them with magic. He would judge them by their agility and ability to dodge and improvise. After that, they would rush to the peak where Rayla would attack them and they had to disarm her or knock her down. She smiled. She was eager to see how things would go. _After all,_ she thought as she gazed down through the clouds, _we have prepared a few surprises along the way._ They had tasked the dragons with making life difficult for the climbers, as well as save their lives if they should fall. _It will take a while before the first one gets here,_ she thought. It had taken her and Callum most of the day to make the climb. 

To her surprise, Ibis shot up from the clouds within minutes. He landed before Rayla. “Alright, there are three skywing elves with wings. They were right behind me a moment ago. The dragons will stall them, but not for long.”

Rayla nodded. “Goodluck then! Try to leave a few standin’. Remember, the point is to actually enlist a couple!” she shouted.

Ibis looked back to the clouds below, where a small shape with red wings emerged. “I don’t think that will be a problem.” Ibis took up his position on the plateau before the entrance, and Rayla went up the stairs to the peak, being their last test. Once she got up the peak, she looked down to see if she could follow the fight going on between Ibis and the first contestant. It was a red-winged skywing elf in some blueish armour and long, red hair. He was using twin swords and tried to get close, but Ibis was making his life very difficult with various aspiro spells and other spells she didn’t recognize. Then she saw a second shape emerge from the clouds, with bright purple wings. _Wow, they’re fast!_ She already decided one of them could come in handy for their speed alone. But they had to be able to fight as well. She watched as Ibis stood down, the winged elf having survived the onslaught of wind and lightning spells. He pointed him upwards to the peak, and beckoned the other elf to engage him.

Rayla turned and took her position in the centre. She had wanted to do a little warm-up first. Going into the battle completely cold wasn’t wise, but it’s not like she had a choice. It was really to their credit that they used their abilities to avoid all the dragons, traps and pitfalls to get so far so fast. She took out her blades and watched as the red-winged elf landed. He was taller than her, had long red hair, some black lines as a tattoo under his right eye and a scar on his left cheek. He pulled out his blades and pointed one at her.

“The name’s Garthen.”

Rayla crossed her blades. “I’m Rayla. Are you ready?”

Garthen merely grinned and leaped. His wings gave him tremendous lift and speed. Rayla saw his intention; he wanted to use both his speed and gravity to get more strength on impact. Instead of blocking, she rolled out of the way an instant before he landed, then got up and crossed her blades with his. They were evenly matched. Both were agile, and Rayla found that she was in fact a little faster and far more precise with her blades, but Garthen used his wings to stay out of her reach and catch his breath, then lunge back at her using his speed to his advantage.

The fight only lasted a little more than a minute before Rayla gave the sign to stop. He hadn’t disarmed her, but he fought well enough to wear her down. “Enough.” She said. Garthen looked pleased.

“Did I pass?”

Rayla was panting. “The first round… yes. Stand down for now.”

Garthen grinned. He sheeted his swords and bowed and walked back to the stairs, just as the next contender flew up. It was the purple-winged Elf. She looked relatively young, maybe in her early twenties. She had short purple hair, and similar armour as Garthen. She didn’t land though. She was carrying a bow and a quiver, and held her bow loaded and at the ready.

“Hi!” She said cheerfully with a high-pitched voice. “I’m Pincaelo! Are you ready for this?”

Rayla looked at the bow. She wondered how good she was. “Alright, just try to hit me with _one!”_ she said, getting her swords at the ready.

Pincaelo smiled, aimed and let loose within the span of second. Rayla barely had time to deflect the arrow with her swords. Adrenaline shot through her system. _That was close!_

“Haha! You’re good!” Pincaelo shouted.

“So are you! Are you going to continue using that bow?”

Pincaelo shrugged. “I mean, why get close when I can use this right?”

“Right, fair enough, but now assume you’re out of arrows. What then?”

Pincaelo grinned. “Then, I have THIS!” She slung her bow over her shoulder and grabbed a bundle of sticks from her back. With the flick of a wrist she turned it into a lance as long as she was. She did a battle cry and stormed at Rayla. For a split-second, Rayla thought of dodging the lance completely, but then dropped her blades and at the last second stepped sideways, grabbed the lance and buried its head in the ground. The momentum caused Pincaelo to fly across the platform over the edge. For a moment, Rayla was worried that the tumble had hurt her wings, but Pincaelo flew into sight again, looking a little ragged.

“Wow! No one has ever done that to me before!” She smiled sadly. “Guess I’m out now, aren’t I.”

Rayla shook her head. “No, you did well enough. We might still need you because of your bow. But be more careful with your attacks with the lance. Don’t overextend yourself.” She pulled the lance out of the ground and tossed it in the air for Pincaelo to catch.

“Thanks! What should I do now?”

“Just wait in the great hall.” Rayla moved to the edge of the platform. She saw that Ibis was casting spells against a third skywing elf. However, this one didn’t do well at all. He or she couldn’t dodge the attacks and was constantly blown away. Eventually the elf gave up, and Ibis and the elf had a short exchange before the elf flew back down the mountain again. Rayla saw that as her cue to come down, figuring the elves without wings would take at least a couple more hours to get up there. _It’s going to be an interesting afternoon…_ she thought.

As the day wore on, more elves made it to the top, but many more did not. Of the eighteen that wanted to undertake the test, ten made it past the dragons, and Rayla fought and beat a couple of those. At the end of the day she was squaring off against two twin moonblood elves named Keryn and Catlyn. They were hellbound on getting into the dragonguard together and had attacked Rayla at the same time without warning.

“That’s not fair!” Rayla had exclaimed, dodging both attacks.

“Don’t expect your enemy to play fair!” Catlyn said as she and her brother lunged at her. Catlyn wielded a strange pummeldagger. It had blades on both ends of the grip, and she could flip the blades so that they would both point in the same direction. This, combined with her longer blade in her other hand, gave her versatility that kept Rayla on her toes. Catlyn’s brother had a sword and a shield that looked small the first time Rayla saw it, but just when she tried to strike above the shield, Keryn pulled a cord and the shield extended vertically, becoming twice as tall. Their fighting style intrigued Rayla. Catlyn would twirl around with her dagger and blade trying to get some cuts in, and when she got tired, she hid behind her brothers shield. This tactic quickly tired Rayla. It was quite effective.

Rayla had her own tricks up her sleeve however, and used her hook to pull the shield towards her and downwards, catching Keryn off guard. He stumbled forward and was promptly headbutted for his trouble. When Catlyn moved to defend her brother, Rayla used her speed and agility to sweep the leg. “Alright...You’ll do.” She managed to say between breaths. The twins said nothing as they laid on the ground, but grinned and high fived each other.

Rayla sat down for a bit and watched Ibis walk up the plateau with a hooded figure next to him.

“This is the last one. She’s quite good! She even managed to tag me a couple of times!” Ibis said while rubbing a sore spot on his side. Rayla was breathing heavily. The various fights had worn her down considerably. Still, she was the captain. She had to show her best, maybe even more so than the newcomers. It was the first step to earning their respect. Rayla watched the figure. It was slender, and judging by the shape probably a girl. Strands of grey hair flowed from under her hood, but most of her face remained obscured, though she saw that she was slightly tanned. She had some kind of half-cloak draped over her right shoulder. Her entire outfit was mostly composed of blacks and greys and judging by the way she moved Rayla thought the girl was probably wearing some kind of leather armor.

Rayla stood up, suppressing a groan. “Alright. Who are you?”

Rayla saw the girl’s lips move, but she barely heard what she said. “Wha..?”

Ibis looked at the girl awkwardly. “She said it’s ‘Kiyara’.”

“Right…” mumbled Rayla as she readied her weapons. The girl was armed with a longsword, probably a hand-an-a-half sword judging by the length of it. But it was rather thin, and she was holding it with just her right arm. The girl looked plain in her robes, and the sword was just as plain to match. _Almost…poor?_ Thought the other contestants all wore fine clothing or armour, having earned that as being the best fighters in their towns and cities, this one looked remarkably simple, stylistically speaking.

Mulling over this, Rayla almost missed the movement her opponent made. With lightning speed Kiyara rushed at Rayla and swung her sword upwards. Rayla narrowly avoided being sliced in two. _By the moon!? Is she trying to kill me?_ Rayla tried to attack, but Kiyara swung her sword round and round, parrying all of Raylas attacks while keeping her form and sword in constant motion. This made it difficult for Rayla to spot an opening. She had to keep track of the swords constantly changing position, lest she get hit herself. Rayla changed tactics, switched to her hooks and tried to grab the blade. It worked. Kiyara tried to pull it free, but Rayla persisted and used her leg to get a few kicks in before Kiyara finally freed her blade.

Kiyara was more cautious after that. She still kept her sword going in slow circular swoops while Rayla stalked around her. But it was now Rayla who had the upper hand. She lunged and pulled back, goading Kiyara to attack. Kiyara, to her credit, saw the feints for what they were and either ignored them or responded so dangerously fast that Rayla couldn’t use them to her advantage.

Rayla than switched only one of her blades to a hook. She attacked and when Kiyara countered, she blocked with her blade and put the hook on top, trying to lock the blade in hers as she moved towards her. Again, Kiyara tried to pull free, but Rayla shoved her with her shoulder, then kicked her on the inside of her knee. Kiyara yelped, landing on one knee. The pain was enough to lose her grip on her sword. But she didn’t give up. Kiyara grabbed Rayla by her vest, trying to get her to the ground, but Rayla used her momentum to throw her over the shoulder and on the ground. She landed flat on her back.

“You pass.” Rayla said curtly to the figure on the ground. She then picked up Kiyara’s sword and inspected it before returning it to its rightful owner. _It’s just a sword…_ This surprised Rayla, as most elven blades had some kind of versatility. Being able to use your weapon in multiple different ways was what made elven weaponry so special. But as she looked back to the girl, she could imagine that this warrior simply couldn’t afford such an exotic weapon. The hooked blades Rayla had earned by being the best of Silvergrove. _Perhaps, where she is from, they are not so well off?_

“Alright, well done. Kiyara, why don’t you join the others in the hall below?” Ibis said. Kiyara gave a curt nod and disappeared downstairs. Ibis looked at Rayla. “You look absolutely ragged!”

Rayla wiped the sweat from her brow and smiled. “That’s how I feel! It was a good workout!”

Ibis laughed. “I bet it was. So, any potential?”

“Of the ones I’ve fought, I’d say both sky elves, the twin moon elves, and… that last one.”

Ibis nodded. “The mix.”

Realization struck her. _The grey hair, the slightly tanned skin…._ “Ah, right, I couldn’t place her!” she looked at the stairs Kiyara descended a minute ago. “Do you think it’s impolite to ask what kind?”

“Yes.” answered Ibis definitively. “At least, it’s impolite to pry. Does it matter?”

Rayla shrugged. “Only if we want to appear as if we have a healthy mix of various types of elves. Personally, I just want the best of the best. “

Ibis nodded. “That’s probably the wisest course of action.”

A shout was heard from below. Both Rayla and Ibis were startled by this.

“Ibis? I thought that Kiyara was the last one.”

Ibis looked puzzled. “I’m certain… I didn’t see anyone climb after… nor did the dragons give warning….” They ran to the edge of the plateau. Below them, they saw the plateau leading to the entrance of the Storm Spire’s interior halls. The three dragons who had assisted them today were squaring off against a peculiar figure. It appeared to be a rather large elf, completely covered in bronze-coloured armour. He had one arm outstretched, holding onto a large pole with a double bladed axe at the end of it. He used his other hand to swing around a chain with a hook which he whipped at the dragons, keeping them at bay. One of the dragons actually breathed fire down upon the figure, which the figure easily sidestepped, despite his heavy armour.

Rayla whistled. “Looks like were not done yet. Ibis, why don’t you go ahead and test our latest guest?”

Ibis looked stunned but nodded as he descended down the stairs.

Rayla opted to stay where she was, taking a break but watching what transpired.

Once Ibis reached the plateau, the dragons calmed down. The helmed figure greeted him, and Ibis saw two antlerlike horns protruding through the helm.

“Well met! I take it you are my next test?” Ibis noted that the figure had a deep, pleasant and dignified voice.

“Yes… how… did you get up here?”

“I walked.” The figure said while pointing with his axe to the stairs.

“Strange… the dragons made no mention of you coming here.” Ibis said, suspicion laid in his voice.

The figure shrugged. “I simply waited until they left.”

Ibis’ eyes widened. _He waited the whole day?_ “Hmmm…. Very well. I’m Ibis, skymage. If you survive my onslaught, you get to meet Rayla, the captain of the dragonguard.”

“I’m Bosor. An utmost pleasure to meet you.” The elf bowed slightly.

Ibis bowed back, and proceeded to cast his magic. “Aspiro!”

Rayla watched the fight with interest. She expected the figure to try to avoid the aspiro attack, but instead, he planted his pole into the ground and held on. He was barely affected due to his heavy armour. Ibis tried various other variations, but the figure remained motionless, not coming closer, nor being blown off balance. Ibis changed tactics and shot a fulminus spell towards him. _He must dodge now, or else he’s toast!_ But the figure simply let go of the pole, and it served as a lightning rod for the spell, leaving Bosor unharmed. When Ibis tried to summon a small, localized storm to have some effect on the stoic figure, it seemed that Bosor had enough. With both hands, he drew a brownish rune in the air and plunged both hands into the ground. Ibis yelped as all of a sudden his feet were encased in stone. Bosor pulled his hands towards him, sinking Ibis into the ground all the way to his knees.

“Does that satisfy you, Ibis, skymage?” Bosor said as he approached the now trapped elf.

“Y-yes, most impressive. Now please release me?” Ibis was a composed figure most of the time. Now was not such a time.

The figure nodded. Rayla paid close attention and strained to listen to what spell Bosor would cast. “Hirundo terrae.” Bosor plunged his gloved hands into the ground again, pushing Ibis out of the ground. Bosor said nothing, but grabbed his double-bladed pole axe and walked up the stairs.

Ibis looked chagrined at the dragons. “You know you are supposed to keep an eye on _all_ the humans and elves around the spire, right?” The dragons gave no reply, but looked guiltily to the ground.

Rayla got up. _This is it,_ she thought. _This is the moment one of them will get me._ She didn’t want to lose, but she had no plan on how to beat this armoured giant-of-an-elf. As Bosor reached the plateau Rayla realized how tall he was. Bosor was nearly twice her size, being tall even for elven standards. _Perhaps that’s normal for earthblood elves?_ She wondered.

Bosor pointed his axe at her. “Greetings, Rayla of Xadia. Tales of your deeds have spread. I look forward to do battle with you.”

“Um… right…. What have you heard exactly?” Rayla was stalling. In the back of her head she was still thinking of ways to knock this one down. So far, she was pulling blanks.

“That you have protected the dragon prince from both humans and elves. You did the impossible by finding the egg, hatching it and returning it here. Your rise to your place as captain of the dragonguard is well deserved.”

“Well, I’ll try not to disappoint then!” She said as she pulled her swords. Inwardly, Rayla groaned. She was tired and sore, and apparently the hardest battle had yet to come.

“Lay on then!” Bosor shouted. He held out his axe as a challenge and started to swing the chain with his other hand. Rayla didn’t wait for him to throw his chain, so she closed the distance and tried for a swing at his helmet. Bosor tried to block with the axe without dropping the momentum on his chain, but Rayla had the advantage of two blades. One got past his guard and slammed against his helmet. Bosor had to drop his chain and pushed Rayla away. She swiped at his legs, but her blades just stopped when they struck his armour. The only warning Rayla had of the incoming axe was the swishing through the air. She managed to avoid the blades, but the pole caught her against the chest and she was flung towards the edge. She plunged her swords in the ground to stop her from going over it.

Bosor now moved towards her, his axe raised with both hands. Rayla got up and tried to get past him, intending to go for the inside of his knees. However, just as she moved passed, the axe swung in her direction and the pole caught her in the ribs, throwing her to the other side again. When she got up, she immediately felt a sting in her side. She had skimmed past the blade of the axe. It wasn’t a deep cut, but she was bleeding. Rayla cursed her luck. She ignored the impulse to put pressure on the wound, but kept her swords in her hands and her eyes on her target. She switched to her hooks and engaged Bosor head on. He swung his axe once, but Rayla jumped back to keep out of its reach, only leaping forward once the axe had moved past. Bosor also moved back, trying to keep his distance. She hooked one blade on his arm and pulled, but felt the strength of his arms as he didn’t budge. She heard him drop his axe and figured that he would try to use his hands to engage her in close quarters, so Rayla decided to pull a risky move. She jumped on his back and put her other hook around his neck, being somewhat careful not to cut him, but she made sure he felt the blade.

“Ugh!” Bosor stiffened as he felt the blade. He had grabbed one of her legs but made no move to throw her.

“I think I win this one.” Rayla whispered to the helmet. Bosor didn’t respond at first. Finally, he let go of Rayla’s leg and held up his hands in defeat.

“I yield.” He rasped. Rayla let herself slide of his back and stowed her swords. She winced as they slid along her sliced hip. Only now did she look at her hip. There was damage, but she couldn’t see if it was just superficial, or if it was a deep cut. However, it was bleeding profusely, her pants already soaking up a lot of the blood. She swore. She didn’t have a lot of spare clothing at hand at the moment. Bosor looked at her. “You should get that looked at.”

Rayla wanted to give a snarky reply, but thought the better of it. “Let’s go meet the rest downstairs.” Bosor gathered his axe and chain and walked after her.

The sun had set. It had been a long day. Of the eighteen that ascended the mountain, ten made the climb, and eight made it past Ibis. Of those eight, Rayla only deemed six worthy of serving the dragonguard. However, this didn’t mean that the remaining six were now dragonguard per sé. It just meant that they would join a trail period over the next month. If they were successful in their duties, then they would become full-fledged members.

Ibis had taken Rayla to her room to bind her wounds and put on some clothing that weren’t soaked in blood, before going to the great hall to present the six before Queen Zubeia. When they got down, the elves were already waiting for them in the front hall. Rayla finally got a good look at Bosor’ face, who had removed his helmet. He was a true eathblood elf. He had light-brown skin, and reddish-brown hair that fell to his shoulders, with brown antler-like horns crowning his head. He looked remarkably at ease compared to the others, who were either nervous or excited. When Rayla stood before them, they all looked at her expectantly.

“Alright, well done everyone!” Rayla said as she addressed the group. “Some of you really surprised me up there! So, are you ready to meet the king and queen?” She saw some mixed reactions amongst the group. The twins looked eager, Bosor looked rather stoic, Pincaelo was jittery, and Garthan and Kiyara looked nervous, almost afraid. _Not the enthousiasm I was expectin’,_ she thought.

“Right, follow me everyone.” The group followed and they entered the great hall. King Aureum Umbra stood before him, looking regal and majestic. Queen Zubeia had a slightly more relaxed pose, and kept an eye on little Zym who was flying around letting out happy yelps and zaps, having invented some kind of game of his own. He largely ignored the group below, but the group let out a gasp as they saw the young prince flying past.

“King Aureum Umbra and queen Zubeia, may I present the candidates for the position of… dragonguard? dragonguardian?” Rayla gave Ibis a sidelong look, but Ibis just shrugged. Rayla coughed and continued. “Please step forward and present yourself when I call your name. Bosor of the earthblood elves.”

Bosor stepped forward and kneeled on one knee, bowing his head. “My life for Xadia and its king and queen!” he exclaimed loudly.

The king gave a nod, and Rayla moved on to the next in no particular order. “Keryn and Catlyn of the moonshadow elves.” Both elves stepped forward and bowed.

“Garthan and Pincaelo of the skywi-.”

“Garthan!?” the queen roared and her head swayed downwards in his direction. The elf cowered before her.

“Your majesty…”

“You! You dare show your face here!?”

The rest of them were confused. King Aureum Umbra kept a watchful eye but did not intervene. Rayla had no idea what had triggered this anger. She looked at Ibis, but he also had a questioning look on his face. “Your majesty…” he started. “What is the matter?”

The dragon snarled. “This _coward_ was part of the previous dragonguard. The guard that abandoned my husband!”

The other elves gasped. No one expected this, and they were unsure how to react. Rayla on the other hand, saw red. _He also abandoned my parents!_ She felt adrenaline surging through her as she drew her blades and rushed towards him. Garthan saw her too late to draw his own blades and was knocked on the ground where he found himself with two blades at his throat.

“You mink eejit! You scunner!” Rayla screamed profanities as her hands trembled. “You abandoned them!”

Garthan narrowed his eyes at her. “Do you mean the king and prince, or your parents?”

The king lowered his head and focused his eyes on Garthan. “Tell me then, Garthan,” he said as he spat the name, “Why did you return?”

Garthan looked at his king, then the queen and then at Rayla. The king looked strict, demanding his attention, but strangely enough the king looked comparatively kind to the others, as the queen and captain had bloody murder written on their face. “I-I… I wanted to prove myself. That I could still do it! Be a dragonguard I mean…” He gave Rayla a hopeful look. “And I did right? You couldn’t disarm me or knock me down.”

“Because you kept flyin’ out of my reach!” she spat, her blades still close to his neck. “And it was you who had to disarm me. Which you didn’t.” Their faces were now inches apart. Rayla had to restrain herself to not just twist the blades and be done with it. _He could have stayed… he could have taken the egg… My parents would still be alive if he wasn’t such a coward!_

Garthan tried to move backwards, but knocked against Bosor who came up behind him and held his double-bladed axe at the ready. He then desperately looked at the dragons as he pointed at Rayla. “What about her? Why is she the captain? Her parents are as much a coward as I am!”

Rayla gave a strangled cry, doing the utmost to restrain herself. “You liar! My parents stood and fought until the end!”

Garthan looked at her with disbelief. “Oh yeah, then why were they banished!? They have never found their bodies Rayla! Face it, they fled!”

For the first time, Rayla felt doubt about that story. She loosened the grip on her blades slightly. “But… But Callum said…”

“Enough!” The king roared. “I don’t care about her parents did. I care about what Rayla of Xadia did. It was Rayla who brought the dragon prince here. She threw herself at the dark mage and from the top of the spire to safe Azymondias. If she needed redemption, then her actions have done so a thousand-fold, which is more than I can say for you!”

It was quiet in the great hall. Zym had stopped playing a while ago and looked at the events from the safety of the nest. The elves held their breath. Garthan’s face was twisted up, showing a mix of anger and shame. “Alright,” he said with a quiet voice. “I’ll go.”

He got up, Rayla and Bosor let him, and he walked out of the great hall. He stopped, wanting to say something, but thought the better of it, and sped out of sight.

Rayla was still staring after him, her fingers still clenched around her blades. Her hands were still shaking.

“Rayla.” Ibis said softly as he put one hand on her shoulder. “Let it go. You still have one more to introduce.”

“Right.” Rayla took a deep breath, bottling up the emotions so she could deal with them some other time and introduced Kiyara. Kiyara quickly stepped forward, gave a short bow, and stepped back to the wall, seemingly wanting to disappear in the shadows.

King Aureum Umbra gave a sigh. “Unexpected, but I’m glad to see that resolved. We cannot have weakness in our most elite fighting force.” He lorded over them and through that demanded their undivided attention. “The next month will be a testing period. You are all proven fighters from your towns or villages, else you would not be here. However, being a dragonguard is more than just fighting. You must protect us, and protect each other. You must care for the Storm Spire and, if threats emerge, you could be sent out to deal with them in our name.” He looked at their faces. Privately, King Aureum Umbra thought that only Rayla and Bosor had the makings of a dragonguard. _Still,_ he mused, _it’s good to have some protection, at least until better suited candidates arrive._ “Your job starts immediately. Captain Rayla.” Rayla stood at attention. “See to it that the Storm Spire is protected, starting now.”

Rayla bowed. “Yes my king.” She turned to the group. “Alright. Bosor, stand guard at the plateau until you are relieved. Pincaelo, scout the perimeter until I call you. The rest, follow me.”

-/-/-/-

It was nearing midnight when Rayla finally made her way to her bed. She had given each of the fledgling dragonguards a room, shown them the storage rooms and pantry and set up a schedule for guarding the perimeter of the Storm Spire. She was glad for her talks with Ibis. If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have known all this stuff, but right now she knew the duties of the dragonguard and hers as their captain. She would make mistakes sometimes, sure. Rayla was new to this so she was bound to slip up. But they were new as well and she figured that as long as they put in the effort, they would all grow into their various roles.

She had also briefly spoken with the king about whether there was any news of Katolis. She decided that while she didn’t like the huge dragon, she could respect him. Though she did not like his harsh look upon the world, she could not fault it either. In fact, that had been her view nearly two months ago. _Two months…_ she mused. _And nearly a month without Callum…_ There had been no word from Katolis, but she wasn’t worried… yet. There had been reports that the army finally managed to cross the border a week ago, meaning that Callum would arrive in the capital somewhere between now and next week. _And then he has to root out the dark mage’s influence…. I’m not even sure how he’s going to do that, much less prove it to the king…_

Rayla undressed, winced as she looked at the bandages (the wound had been deeper than expected, but it would heal in time), and laid down for the night. She grabbed Callum’s sketchbook and started leafing through it. By now it held no more secrets to her. She had seen all the sketches. But she could daydream, and as she looked at the sketch where she was wearing his scarf, she imagined herself lying close to him. The pain she had felt on her first night here had numbed somewhat, but it was still there.

“Callum…” she whispered. Staring at the sketch, she slowly fell into a restless sleep…

-/-/-/-

It was hot in the cave, but that had to be expected. They had set themselves up in a cave in the desert close to several villages. Neolandia didn’t have a high mage as Katolis once had, but there were several powerful mages that lived in the various cities. Viren had sent messages to the figures he knew, giving a brief overview of what he knew and where he was. He explained his intend as ‘spreading the blessing of magic across all kingdoms’. It was the truth. He just wasn’t sure the authorities would see it that way after the defeat at the Storm Spire. He hadn’t gotten replies so far, so he hid.

Meanwhile, Claudia went to the various villages disguised as a priest and with the sunstaff used sun magic and dark magic to enact various miracles to gain a following. Sometimes she would bring a follower to the cave where Viren would talk with them about what it truly entailed to become a dark mage and that no, dark didn’t mean bad or evil, it just meant accepting that to create something, you had to give something in return, in most cases the lifeforce of _other_ living creatures.

Aaravos stayed out of sight and would sometimes disappear for days, but he would always return with a lot of new ingredients for Viren and Claudia to use. He and Viren would talk about their plans sometimes, but Viren noted that Claudia was included more and more in these talks. He felt the shift in power. He was still the mastermind behind all their scheming, Aaravos providing the means and Claudia doing the actual work. He wondered how long it would be however before Claudia didn’t need him anymore. She still adored him, something that pleased him immensely. He loved her, but also worried about her. He sincerely hoped that they would get out of this better than they started.

“Dad? Daaaad!” Viren looked up. He had been thinking about what to do about the kingdoms. There had been a decreed in Duren last week banning all dark magic. The few mages Duren housed weren’t very powerful, and had relented their craft and materials almost immediately. He figured Katolis would follow suit soon after.

“Dad, I brought a friend!” Claudia came in with a rough looking man. He wore plain black robes and was a bit on the fat side. His beard was of medium length and unkept, and he was balding. He certainly wasn’t an imposing sight.

“Greetings high mage Viren. It is a pleasure to finally see you!”

Viren looked more closely at the figure, then realisation struck him. “Muardalt! Is that you?”

The figure grinned, showing his yellow teeth. “Ti’s indeed! I hoped to see you again someday, but I didn’t expect to find you in this cave in the middle of the desert! Tell me how this came to pass!”

Viren smiled. Muardalt was an acquaintance, one of the mages in Neolandis he had met once or twice to exchange notes and spells. “Well, I didn’t expect to end up here either. But its good to see a friendly face!” They shook hands. Muardalt gave him a funny look.

“You look beat up Viren! Why aren’t you using your beautification spell? Ran out of butterflies?”

Viren coughed. “We’re…saving our supplies for those in need.”

“Really? How… nice of you.”

“Indeed. Anyway, what can I do for you Muardalt? You already know the basics of dark magic. Have you come to learn more?”

“Indeed I have. Your beautiful daughter told me of your plight, and I figured, why not help my old pal Viren for a good cause?”

Viren strook his beard as he regarded Muardalt. “Really? Well, we can use help. What can you offer?”

Muardalt gestured to the cave entrance, where a small group of people were waiting. “I have been trying to teach these men dark magic, but unfortunately I don’t have the same skill as you do. If you train us, we can make sure that dark magic spreads throughout Neolandia.”

Viren thought about that. After a while, he said, “I’ll make you a different offer. I will train you, and those men. But in return you must do something for me.”

Muardalt already looked happy at the prospect of learning more about dark magic. “Sure pal, anything you want!”

Viren smiled and beckoned the other men to come forward. They were all rough looking people, just the kind of men he needed for this mission. He told them of a plan he had thought up that would make sure that the common folk would not only respect dark magic, but would start to use it on their own.

“Viren, this sounds like a well thought out plan.” Muardalt said after Viren had explained almost anything. “Where do you want us to start all this?”

Viren’s eyes shone with a hint of anger and vengeance as he thought of the one ruler who had defied him and had now banned the magic he loved. “To Duren.”


	7. Tension and discoveries

Rayla was falling. She knew this, even though her eyes were closed. Dread filled her stomach. She forced her eyes open and looked around. She recognized the shape of clouds whizzing past around her, the larger ones in the distance slowly rising as she fell down further and further. She turned her body, expecting the Storm Spire to be behind her, but she saw nothing. She looked up, hoping that Callum would be there. And he was! She saw him coming closer to her. She stretched out her arms and shouted his name. “Callum!” She felt hopeful. He came towards her, ever closer, arms outstretched. But the wings he once had didn’t appear. He looked panicked. He was close enough now that she saw his lips moving, but he couldn’t hear what he was saying. She strained to touch his fingers. Just when they touched, Callum’s eyes went wide and he exploded in a cloud of feathers, quickly dissipating to all sides. Rayla looked around for any sign of Callum, but all she saw were feathers disappearing in the distance. She yelled. She turned around expecting to meet the ground soon, only to see to her absolute horror an endless ocean stretching beneath her. Rayla now screamed in earnest, eyes wide with terror, flailing her hands and legs in the vain hope that this could somehow stop her fall…

Then she hit the water.

The impact nearly shattered her bones. She held her breath and closed her eyes shut. After a few seconds, she opened them. She saw that she was sinking, the light from above slowly dimming. Around her, she saw figures sinking with her. In front of her, she saw the lifeless body of Runaan going down headfirst, with Ethari next to him. To the right, she saw both of her parents slowly sinking. Her heart pounded in her chest as dread filled her being. She tried to turn. Wherever she looked, she saw bodies slowly disappearing in the depths of the water. _Ibis, Lujanne, Nyx, Ezran, Zym… Callum!_ The moment she saw his body float down, his lifeless eyes staring at her, she lost all control and tried to scream. Water immediately rushed in. It burned her lungs as she gasped for breath…

Coughing heavily, Rayla sat up in bed. It took her a moment to orient herself. _A nightmare…another one…_ Rayla groaned _. Can’t I get one night of uninterrupted peaceful sleep!?_ She got up and walked to the desk. She lit the luneflame, grabbed a large earthen bowl and filled it with water from a jug. She wanted to splash the water in her face, but when she saw her own reflection in the water she hesitated. Left-over dread from her nightmare filled her being as she remembered drowning. She took a deep breath and slowly put her hand in the water. It was cold. The sensation slowly woke her up. She lifted her hand to her face and smeared the water over her eyes, trying to remove the evidence of several sleepless nights.

She sighed. She didn’t understand why she had these nightmares. She always forgot most of them come morning, but it left her feeling worn. _This can’t go on any longer,_ she thought to herself. _I’ll have a talk with Ibis soon. Maybe he has an idea how to get rid of nightmares._ With a snap, the luneflame extinguished and Rayla went back to bed, trying to steal away a few more hours of bliss before the morning came.

-/-/-/-

Morning came much too soon for Rayla. She was woken by a soft knock on the door from Bosor, who had just ended his shift. “Captain, are you awake?” Bosor called through the door. Rayla yawned and rubbed her eyes.

“Yeah…” she said, wondering for how long that would be true.

“Good. I’ve ended my shift. Pincaelo is also off to bed. Keryn and Kiyara have taken over as you instructed. We have nothing to report.”

Rayla nodded, then remembered that he couldn’t see her through the door. “Alright, thanks Bosor! Goodnight.”

Rayla heard him laugh as he said “Good morning!” as he was saying goodbye. _He’s alright,_ she thought as she let a smile poke through. She put on some clothes. They had recently gotten a shipment of supplies from neighbouring cities. Ibis had instructed her on how to handle those. If she arranged things properly, she only had to order one of those once a month. But this shipment also contained extra clothing for her, from which she now benefited. She enjoyed the soft linen in familiar moonshadow elf style and wondered what village it was from as she made her way to the great hall. There she found Catlyn already having breakfast, having put a plate with food up for her as well.

“Ah, Rayla, you’re up!”

Rayla waved and sat down. “Yup, another brand-new day!” She said with all the enthusiasm she could muster.

Catlyn didn’t buy it however. “Are you alright? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you enjoyed a special stash of moondraught last night!”

Rayla blushed. “Eh, nothing of the sort! I don’t like that stuff anyway.”

“Oh? Ever tried it?” Catlyn leaned over, interested in what her captain’s experiences were.

“Nooo… it just doesn’t seem fun to get so wasted that even walking becomes a challenge!” Rayla said defensively.

“Really…” Rayla didn’t like the look Catlyn was giving her now. It was full of mischief. But then Catlyn shrugged. “Anyway, none of my business. You just look tired is all.”

Rayla nodded. “That’s how I feel. But I’ll get over it, somehow.” She grabbed some fruit and cooked fish and filled her glass with juice. She wasn’t big on breakfast, but it was the most important meal of the day, or so she was told.

“So, what’s the plan for today?” Catlyn asked. “The same as usual?”

Rayla nodded. “Mostly yeah, though I suggest we do some sparring before our shift starts. But before that, I want to check in with the king and queen.”

“Waiting for some important news?” Catlyn looked at her intently.

Rayla thought about avoiding the question, but didn’t think it would do her any good. “Meh, something like that.”

Catlyn looked around the great hall. Even though there wasn’t anyone nearby, she still leaned over the table and dropped her voice to a whisper. “So… there’s a rumour that’s been going around.”

Rayla’s eyes shot up to meet hers. She continued to munch her fruit, but was put on guard immediately by the statement.

“Rumour has it that you are in love… with a human.”

Rayla swallowed. “Oh really…” she said nonchalantly as she reached for another piece of fruit.

Catlyn waited for more of an answer, but when she didn’t get any, she continued. “Alright, a mate of mine, Dundril, was here as part of a delegation right after the battle. He said that he saw you smooching with a human boy, who then proceeded to fly off into the sunset…”

Rayla didn’t answer, but looked Catlyn right in the eye. Even though Catlyn was a fair bit older than Rayla, Catlyn couldn’t help but be impressed by the stoic, icy glare she was getting from her captain right now. Unfortunately for Rayla, Catlyn was cut from the same cloth as her. They were both moonshadow elves. Giving up wasn’t in their nature.

Eventually, Catlyn pressed for an answer. She slammed her hands on the table. “So? Is it true!?”

Rayla was taken aback by her enthusiasm. Catlyn was smiling as she asked her these questions which was somewhat suspicious, but Rayla detected no malice in her attitude. She didn’t want to answer these questions. Her private life was complicated enough as it was, but she couldn’t, and _didn’t_ want to hide the fact that she was in love with Callum either. She relented, hoping that if she answered her questions, that would be the end of it.

“Alright, alright! Geez!” Rayla held up her hands in defeat. “You know, as your _captain_ I don’t appreciate you prying into my private life, but yes, since you’re asking, and since apparently half the elf population is now gossiping about it, I have indeed kissed Callum when he went home.”

Catlyn gasped, looking delighted. “I knew it! You’ve got to tell me all about it!”

“Wait, what? Why would I do that? So you and the rest of the guard can make fun of me?”

“Captain!” Catlyn looked shocked. “We would never do that!”

Rayla looked at her suspiciously. “So why do you want to know all this?” When she asked the question, Catlyn seemed embarrassed, almost shy. That was strange, because to Rayla, Catlyn had always looked like a true moonshadow elf. She was cocky, straight to the point, and fearless.

“Well… honestly? I thought it was… kind of romantic.” Catlyn looked away as she admitted this.

“What?!” Rayla gave her weird look.

“Well, you’ve got to admit, it’s all rather exotic. You, the former-assassin now captain of the dragonguard, in love with a human, who should have been your enemy. You _are_ in love, aren’t you?”

“Oh! Yeah, big time.” Rayla said with a goofy grin as she thought about her various moments with Callum.

“It’s just one of those stories that I’ve read about. You know, if anyone ever gives you flack about being in love with a human, you should come to me. I got your back! Not that you need it of course!” She hastily added.

Rayla just laughed. “Look at you. A fearsome warrior from the moonshadow elf villages. I didn’t think you’d be a big softy!” She was actually relieved that there was a soft side to the snarky warrior in front of her.

Catlyn grinned. “Don’t tell Keryn that. Cause I’m not, most of the time. But deep down inside?” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “I’m a hopeless romantic.”

Rayla grinned. Leaning her head on her arms, a dreamy look on her face. “You know, Callum’s an actual prince.” she said, her voice filled with some kind of pride and achievement.

Catlynn gave a heavy sigh. “Ah, you’ve got the good life then. After you’re married, you’ll be living the rest of your life in castles and palaces, with everything taken care off. You’re so lucky!”

Rayla laughed, but internally she felt a stab of sadness. She was cooped up in the Spire, and Callum was all the way over there in Katolis. What kind of future would the two of them have? She sighed and hoped that she would hear from him again soon.

-/-/-/-

Callum looked at the mess that was once lord Viren’s private study. All the bookcases were empty, all the various chests and containers upturned and, in some cases, broken apart to find hidden containers. Half of the room and some of the hallway was filled with wooden crates used to sort the various items. Callum, with the help of Belt, had settled sorting everything in two categories; ‘books’ and ‘items’. And within these two categories, there were two more categories; ‘dark magic’, or ‘mostly harmless’. And this had kept them going for the last few weeks. It had now been three weeks since the battle at the Storm Spire. Three weeks since he’d last seen Rayla. He stopped moving books and looked out the window. It was a beautiful day. Somewhere, many miles away, was Rayla. He wondered whether she was thinking of him, or whether she was busy with her dragonguard stuff.

“So… what’s it like to turn into a bird?”

Callum sighed. Belt had been a great help in moving and sorting the various stuff, and he was a quick study. He was also inquisitive, and would not stop asking questions.

“Not a bird.” Callum replied. “It’s a sky magic spell called Manus Pluma Volantis. They’re mage wings.”

“So, you get like an extra set of wings?”

“Something like that.”

“On your back?”

At first Callum was annoyed by these questions, but he quickly realised that Belt’s interest stemmed from his yearning to learn _everything_ about magic. Even the most simplistic and mundane things would be of interest to him. “No, actually, your arms turn into wings. They stay that way as long as you focus.”

Belt was moving the jar of toad-eyes to the ‘dark magic item’ section. “Huh. I wonder if you could still cast spells while you have wings.”

Callum stopped leafing through the books in the ‘mostly harmless’ section. _Huh, that’s actually a good question._

While there was still a pile of stuff left to be sorted, Callum was rather pleased with how far they had gotten these last few days. They had cleaned out Viren’s study, and his various underground laboratories as well, though it had taken them a few tries to get the combination to the dungeon where they had found the egg. The underground dungeon was the worst, filled with various magic animal parts, and even elven skeleton parts. Callum was just glad that Rayla wasn’t here to see this, though she had a glance when she cornered them the day he met her. Again he caught himself staring out of the window as he reminisced on those days.

“Are you alright? You look like you’re missing something.” Belt looked at him curiously.

“Yeah, I think so.” Callum whispered, more to himself than to anyone else.

Belt was leafing through a book, but looked up at Callum in a weird way. “Tis about a girl?”

Callum blushed hard. “N-no! Why would it ever be about a girl? I don’t even like girls! I mean…”

Belt said nothing, but raised his eyebrows, especially after that last remark.

Callum struggled to fix this situation, but there was no salvaging this. He hung his head in defeat. “It’s about a girl.”

A grin crossed Belt’s face. “I knew it!” He slapped Callum on the shoulder. “Good for you man!”

Callum sighed, ready for the onslaught of questions that was sure to follow, but… nothing came. When he looked up, Belt was back to filling boxes with various goods from the pile. He looked hard at a jar with pickles, trying to decide whether it belonged in a ‘dark magic’ or ‘mostly harmless’ box.

“So, uh… you don’t want to know more?”

Belt didn’t even look at him as he answered. “No, not really.” He looked at Callum and caught his surprised look. “What? Oh, is this me being awkward again?”

“Well… honestly? Yes.” This wasn’t the first time Belt asked a question and then completely dropped the subject. Callum didn’t quite understand why Belt was acting like he was. He wasn’t stupid, or slow, but somehow he failed to get any social cues.

“Ugh, sorry… um… what were we talking about?” Belt looked embarrassed by the situation, though Callum guessed that he didn’t know what to be embarrassed about, and that embarrassed him.

“Oh, just, you know, casually invading the private life of a prince by asking inappropriate questions.” Callum said sarcastically, realizing too late that Belt probably did not speak sarcasm.

“Oh, right! Fun times! You like a girl!”

Callum facepalmed. Belt smiled and continued packing. Callum sighed. “You know, she is really nice… She’s beautiful, and kind and smart and witty… and she’s an elf.” Callum felt the need to just talk about it, being actual glad that Belt had asked the question. Whether or not Belt was a good listener remained to be seen.

“An elf?” Belt was surprised. “Are those the ones with the pointy….” 

“Ears? Yeah, elves!” 

“... I was going to say horns.” Belt said as he traced lines above his head.

“...right. Anyway, she’s a good elf! I mean, I think most of the elves are good. It’s just the war that has mucked things up between humans and elves.” 

Belt shrugged. “If you say so…” 

Now Callum was annoyed. He was getting zero input and response from this guy. “Do you have a special someone Belt?”

Belt tripped, the books he was carrying went flying through the air. He gave Callum an incredulous look. “Me? In a bond with someone else?” He laughed. “I wish.” 

Now Callum was intrigued. “What? Why not?” 

Belt leaned against the wall and gestured at himself. “I… I like books Callum, and science, and magic. I like to study.” He gestured at the piles and piles of books in the corner of the room. “This I understand. But people? People are… strange and illogical. They don’t make sense. They don’t mean what they say half the time. I wish people would just say what they wanted or thought. It would make things easier.” 

Callum tried to read Belts face. He wasn’t sure if Belt was sad about it or not. It explained why he acted the way he did though. “Well, at least you’re good at sorting stuff,” he said as he gestured at the piles and piles of boxes already taken care off.

Belt nodded. “I like putting things into order. It’s one of my pet peeves.” Belt looked at the boxes with the dark magic ingredients in them. “What are you going to do with those Callum?”

Callum gave the horrendous collection one look and knew what he wanted right away. “I think I’ll throw them all into a pyre.”

Belt was shocked. “What?! B-but… that’s a waste! And some of those ingredients are pretty rare.”

Callum knew this. Some part of him felt bad about this. He didn’t want to waste stuff, but he also knew something else. “For every ingredient, something has suffered and died Belt.” He looked him in the eyes. “Do you really want to use those, knowing something else paid a horrible price?”

Belt paled. “I guess you’re right…” he muttered. He gestured to the crates with books. “And what about those?”

Callum looked at the books. Though there were a lot of books in Viren’s study, not a lot were about dark magic specifically, and only a handful were actual spell books. “Well… I want to make sure people don’t start practicing dark magic again. And I need to prove it to king Aureum Umbra.”

Belt looked thoughtfully at the crates. “Well, if it were up to me, I’d say deliver the books to king Aureum. The spellbooks and the more sinister dark magic books all fit in one crate. And…” Belt hesitated. “If you really want to make sure people don’t practice dark magic again, then burn the rest. It’s very hard to erase things from history, but at least it’ll make it very difficult for people to get started again.”

Callum nodded. He had been thinking something similar. He eyed the crate warily though. _That thing is heavy! I will never be able to carry it using my mage wings. Which means another week of travel, assuming I can cross the border… and I need the seal of the king for that…_ He looked chagrined at the offending crates of materials. “Belt, fetch the guards. It’s time to build a bonfire.”

-/-/-/-

Rayla presented herself before the dragon king and queen. Ibis was in the great hall as well, as of course was Zym. Zym happily flew in her direction. It seemed like he missed the scratches she would often give him on their journey here. Rayla greeted Zym, but a bit hesitantly, not wanting to appear too informal in front of the king.

“Rayla of Xadia, good morning to you.” The kings voice rumbled through the great hall.

“And to you, my king, my queen.” She bowed before them. Zym bounced against her knees, trying to get her attention again. She laughed. “And to you too, young prince.” She ruffled his hair. The king snorted at the informal display, but Rayla paid it no mind for now.

“I’ve come to seek audience with you.”

The dragons regarded her with curiosity. While king Aureum Umbra’s gaze was stoic, the queen had a much softer and warmer look on her face.

“Granted.” The queen said. “What can we do for you?”

“Well… I had a couple of questions…” She looked away nervously. The constant gaze of the king was unnerving. “Um… can I ask who that dragon was that you spoke to at the dragonmoot? Just curious!”

King Aureum Umbra’s eyes narrowed. “You may not.”

“Oh, alright…” Rayla said in a small voice. She bit her lip, but persisted. She really wanted to know after all. “Has there been any word from Katolis? Any messages? Anything?”

“No.” The kings shadow dwarfed her. Her heart sank a bit, and she felt her confidence waver. The queen looked a bit more sympathetic when she spoke.

“I’m sorry Rayla. All we know is that the human army has crossed the border with the help of the sunfire elves about a week ago. A checkpoint has been established, but so far, Ibis has had no further messages.”

Rayla looked to the ground, at a loss for words.

“Why don’t you come sit with us for a bit, before you resume your duties? You look like you need some rest.” The queen said with a gentle voice.

“A-alright.” She moved over to the queen, keeping a wary eye on the king. The king didn’t look pleased with this, but he said nothing of it, merely resting his head and closing his eyes. Rayla moved to a rock on the queen’s side of the cavern so she could sit more face to face with her, though the queen still had to stoop for that.

“What’s bothering you Rayla? Are your duties taking a toll?”

“Uhm… it’s nothing…” Rayla wanted to avoid talking about the stuff that bothered her, mostly because the king was present. _He made me captain of the dragonguard! What if he starts thinking that was a mistake!?_

“Rayla, it doesn’t take a dragon to see that you barely get any sleep… what’s the matter?”

Rayla sighed. “It’s a lot of things. Sure, the new duties take some getting used to, and I’ve never been a captain before, but the other elves some to have some experience working with others, so I’m not to worried about the dragonguard.” She looked up, looking in the giant eyes of Queen Zubeia. “But each day I miss him more. It’s this constant feeling, this dread that there is a reason I don’t hear from him. Almost a month has passed. He could have been back by now!”

“Ah, I see…” Queen Zubeia said.

King Aureum Umbra snorted. “And this relation with this ‘human’ is entirely platonic?” Both the queen and Rayla looked over to King Aureum Umbra, who still had his head on the ground, eyes closed. “Why would that matter?” The queen asked before Rayla could respond.

Now the king opened his eyes and raised his head. “It’s not proper. Humans were the enemy, are in _many_ cases still the enemy. Some would even say they are the lesser species.”

Rayla dared not to respond, but inward she was boiling. They had worked so hard to prevent war and hatred between the two species. It angered her to the core to see the king still harbouring such thoughts.

“And do you believe that, king Aureum Umbra?” Queen Zubeia snarled, frightening both Zym and Rayla.

The king looked at the queen dragon, his face hard to read. “My personal beliefs are irrelevant, but if you must know, I think it’d be better for her to focus on her own kind. I fail to see why she couldn’t bond with another elf from her village.”

“She’s an outcast, even amongst her own kind! Either they’ve shunned and banished her, or placed her on a pedestal so high that no one can reach her! Which you did by the way, by naming her ‘Rayla of Xadia’. So I think she is allowed to miss her the one person in her life who truly sees her for who she is, regardless of whether they love each other or not.”

Rayla stared, mouth agape, as she listened to the queen’s tirade. The king gave them both a long, hard look. Finally, he said “I’ll leave you two alone then,” and slipped out of the great hall.

Both females let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding and looked at each other. There was a silence in the great hall, but it was not uncomfortable. It was Rayla who finally broke the silence.

“Thanks for that.” She said with a small voice.

“Don’t mention it.” The dragon rumbled. “Its about time someone took him down a peg.”

Rayla smiled, glad that at least she wasn’t the only one thinking it. She wondered about the king though. “Is there a reason that he is so incredibly harsh?”

The queen contemplated the question for a bit. “Not that I know off. There is very little that I know of Aureum Umbra before he became king. He lived in the Nort-eastern parts of Xadia, and though he is an archdragon, he didn’t become a Prime until a few decades ago. It’s only after his promotion that we saw more of him here. By that time, he held the same anti-human views we all did here.”

Rayla thought about that. “I mean, I can understand it, even if I don’t agree with it now. I was the same. I thought humans were scum, until I met Callum, and Ezran, and many more humans after that. They aren’t that different from elves. Some are eejits, but most of them aren’t.”

Queen Zubeia looked at her intently. “And what do you think of their use of dark magic then?”

“Well... it’s only a handful of people that actually do dark magic. You can’t blame the entire population for what that one guy does right? I mean, it’s still disgusting. I was so furious with Callum when he used it. I know he used it to save me, and he became ill, really ill right afterwards. It was like his own body rejected the notion of using dark magic. But I was still mad at him!” Her voice became quieter as she remembered the afternoon that she watched over his body as the life slowly drained from him. “I only forgave him once he…. He….” She swallowed, finding it hard to talk about that moment. Zubeia was still looking at her, still listening.

“He almost died. Like he came really close. His eyes were these huge black circles,” she said, while gesturing to her own, “and his breathing nearly stopped. When that happened I panicked. I couldn’t lose him. Not then, certainly not over that.”

She took a deep breath, glad to have that off her chest. “I think that was when I realized I love him.”

Queen Zubeia smiled. “So, did you tell him?”

Rayla laughed awkwardly. “Gods no. When he woke all of a sudden he seemed to be alright again. The dark circles were gone. I just… closed up I guess.”

The queen actually laughed at that, her deep rumble echoing through the caverns. “Ah, young love… so how did the two of you get together?”

Rayla snorted. “Well, that one was actually quite silly. It was in the midnight dessert. I was feeling rather down. I had just found out that I was banished from the Silvergrove, and I felt like a failure.” Another stab of pain in her chest. She was getting used to them now, these last few weeks. But they still hurt. “It was Callum who cheered me up. I wanted to keep some distance, you know. I couldn’t bear for him to see me back then. I was a mess… But Callum couldn’t leave me alone. He stood with me and told me how brave I was, and… and how strong and funny I was…” She smiled sadly.

“Ah, so that’s how you found out he loved you as well.”

Rayla giggled. “Actually, I thought that’s what he was saying, and that moment I kissed him. But it turned out he didn’t expect that and he was really awkward about it! Its kind of embarrassing really.” She felt a blush creep up her cheeks. “Looking back, I think he wasn’t saying these things because he liked me, though he did. He was saying these things because he honestly believed they were true, and he didn’t want to take advantage.” She sighed. “That was… actually really sweet of him.”

“But he didn’t show his affection for you then?”

Rayla shook her head. “No, not in words anyway. I got mad. I felt stupid! I told him I would kill him if he would ever talk about this to anyone!”

Queen Zubeia now laughed hard. Zym looked up from his nest, wondering what the fuss was all about. “Oh, I’m sorry Rayla. It’s just rather funny. I wish I was there to see it.”

Rayla laughed a bit herself. “Don’t be. I guess deep down inside, the both of us are still awkward teenagers, despite our responsibilities. Anyway, after I saved a skywing elf why had captured Zym, the elf asked why I even bothered after what she’d done. And Callum proclaimed it was because I was a hero! I never saw myself like that! I was a failed assassin, but Callum thought the world of me.” She hugged herself, remembering the moment fondly.

“I was just stunned! I mean, how could someone think so highly of me? But he did, and then… he kissed me.” She laughed. “Immediately after, he was awkward again, thinking he had overstepped or something. But I made it very clear how I felt.”

“And how did you do that?”

“By grabbing him by the scarf and kissing him back.” Rayla answered with a wicked smile.

Queen Zubeia smiled back. “Good.”

Rayla looked up to the great queen dragon. _Even though she’s a dragon, she’s also a real person._ Rayla felt good talking to her. It made her feel like she still had a friend here at the Storm Spire.

“So… can I ask how that works for dragons? How did you meet Avizandum?”

The dragon was silent for a while. “It is… difficult to find a mate for a dragon. We dragons live a long time and generally we mate for life. So you have to be really careful about who you select as a mate.” The queen leaned her head closer to Rayla as she whispered, “Otherwise you’re stuck with a grumpy one like king Aureum Umbra.”

Both Rayla and the queen laughed. Eventually, the queen continued. “I was strong back then, so I kept my eye open for a strong mate, both in body and spirit. I suppose it’s not that different from elves. You search for qualities you can appreciate.” The queen looked to the entrance of the great hall, thinking of memories long past. “Avizandum was special to me. He could create the most wonderful storms and would invite me of all dragons to fly along with him. The storms were his way to show me how much he cared… He courted me for decades before we finally agreed to be bonded.”

Rayla listened with rap attention. Though she lived in Xadia, she had never wandered far beyond the Silvergrove. She didn’t know that much about dragons, and she found this stuff fascinating.

“In the end, he gave me his heart, and I gave mine. It wasn’t long after that fair queen Luna Tenebris passed. The dragonmoot was called, and a new king had to be elected. Avizandum was the strongest of dragons, and I was his mate, and fertile as well.”

Rayla rubbed her chin as she processed this information. Something had been bothering her ever since she had been elected captain of the dragonguard. “Hmm, actually, I have a question about that. As far as I know, king Avizandum was elected by the dragonmoot, and Luna Tenebris before that, and Sol Regem before that. So for the past millennia, all of our regents were elected.”

Zubeia smiled. “Good. A student of history. It pleases me to know that you interest yourself in the history of Xadia.”

Rayla nodded, but continued. “And now king Aureum Umbra has been elected. So why are you still a queen, and is Zym still a prince? Not that I don’t want you as a ruler your majesty,” she hastily added, “nor that I don’t think Azymondias will grow up to be a mighty dragon and a great leader, but it doesn’t make much sense.”

Zubeia nodded. “T’is true. For a thousand years, the royal house has switched from dragon to dragon by election. But this was not always the case, nor was it meant to be this way. Truth to be told, Sol Regem is the last of his royal line and never produced an heir.”

Now, queen Zubeia hesitated. “We dragons don’t allow ourselves to speak ill of our kin, but know that there were reasons, good and necessary reasons, that the dragonmoot decided to remove the crown from Sol Regem and give it to Luna Tenebris instead.”

“And Luna Tenebris, didn’t she have an heir?”

The queen nodded. “Oh, indeed, she had many. But none she saw fit to succeed her. That is why she tasked the dragonmoot to find a new royal line for Xadia, and that is when Avizandum was elected king, making me queen by default.” She sighed heavily. “When he passed, I become the queen and sole ruler. Protecting Xadia was my prerogative and my burden. And I failed miserably…” She added with a voice heavy with regret.

Rayla gasped. She put a hand on the enormous paw of the queen, the only part of her that she could reach from her spot. “No… no, no, this isn’t your fault.”

“It is, Rayla of Xadia. Even though I did not intend for events to go as they went, I too made choices that could have prevented further suffering. Instead, I ordered the human king and his son killed as revenge, and slipped into darkness long after. The dragonmoot was right to elect a new leader. Xadia needs a strong one to lead and defend in these trying times.” Queen Zubeia cheered up a bit, adding “And king Aureum Umbra has been most merciful. Though he now reigns, he has chosen not to break the elected royal line. He has not deposed me, and promised the crown to Azymondias when he is old enough. King Aureum Umbra may be a strict and harsh leader, but he is a fair one, and we do well to respect that.”

Rayla agreed. “Yeah, I know. I shouldn’t complain. I just… I just wished he could be a little nicer at times, you know?”

The queen didn’t reply, but nodded. They understood each other.

Rayla still had one more question to ask, though she dreaded to ask it. “Do you… think that the king will prevent me from seeing Callum?”

Queen Zubeia snorted. “Rayla, I may not be the ruler supreme anymore, but I have still some sway. If you can arrange a fully functional dragonguard to be here, I’m sure that we can miss you for some time to be with your human prince.” With a smile, she added, “You know, we could call it a diplomatic mission to improve ‘relations’ with the people of Katolis, or at least, one in particular.”

Rayla laughed. The queen had actually winked at her. “Thanks a bunch!” Rayla said while getting up. “I do feel a lot better now.”

“So do I,” the dragon queen replied. “I like these talks. I think it’s good for the both of us.”

Rayla agreed. They hadn’t discussed everything, but Rayla didn’t feel ready to discuss her nightmares anyway. _I think they’ll go away soon enough. I just have to push on._ Rayla hopped of the rock and waved goodbye to Zym. On her way out, she ran into Ibis, who had just finished carrying a few bags to the entrance.

“Ibis! Going somewhere?”

Ibis turned around. “Oh, hey! I’ve been meaning to talk to you. I’m going home.”

“What!?” Rayla hadn’t expected that. Ibis had stayed with her these past three weeks. He was basically part of the décor in the Storm Spire!

Ibis was amused by Rayla’s reaction. “I do have a home Rayla. That I stayed here for so long was due to necessity, but you seem to have everything well in hand by now.”

“B-but what do I do if I need something for the dragonguard? Or what if they ask me to do something… diplomatic?” Rayla sputtered, wrinkling her nose in distaste as she said the word. 

Ibis laughed. “The dragonguard has at least partly been rebuild, and I see you have an ally in queen Zubeia as well. You’ll do fine. Besides, my beautiful daughter most certainly misses me.”

“Oh… you never mentioned you had a daughter.”

“You didn’t ask.” Ibis stuck out his arm, and Rayla reluctantly grabbed it.

“Be safe, Rayla of Xadia. May you be the best captain of the dragonguard we have ever had!”

“Thank you, Ibis. Good luck on your journey then.” Rayla was reluctant to see her ally and teacher go, because that had been his role these past few weeks. He had taught her about leadership, logistics, communication, diplomacy and all sorts of things required to be a captain of the guard.

Ibis gave her a smile and grabbed his bag, holding his staff in his left hand. Outside waited a blueish spikey dragon, with a similar mane as the queen and Zym had. Rayla figured it was a young storm dragon. Ibis hopped on, gave her one last look, and with that, he was off. Rayla watched him go. _Well, looks like I really have to learn how to manage on my own now,_ she thought as she stared off into the distance.

-/-/-/-

A week had passed since Prince Callum had arrived in the capital of Katolis. Callum had done everything he could to make sure that the influence of Viren’s dark magic was truly gone. All of the ingredients were destroyed, all the spell books were safely stored in a crate, awaiting transportation to the Storm Spire, and any leftover items, such as books, furniture and a large mirror found in the dungeon were given another place in the castle.

Callum missed Rayla terribly. But there was little that he could do about it, so he tried to remain busy. He did send a message to the Breach, to be forwarded to Rayla of Xadia, captain of the dragonguard. He just hoped someone would be so kind to get the message to the Storm Spire. He wasn’t sure the message would reach her, because he doubted that there were many elves who were ready to play the postman for some human prince right now.

He took a deep breath. _Time will tell, I suppose._

In the meantime, Callum also had instructed Belt in the ways of the sky arcanum and primal magic theory. It was less of him teaching and more of a joined study. Callum told him what he knew, and together they poured through the various books on magic. Most of it was of a historical nature, but Callum was glad to read that there had been elven archmages that had connected to multiple arcanums. There was no mention of any human mage being connected, but this didn’t dissuade him. He could very well be the first. _So technically,_ he thought¸ _for me there are no limits!_

It was on a warm day in the midst of July that Callum was woken for a bit of a surprise.

“…-um.” Drool escaped from the corner of his mouth as he snored on softly, still holding some paper in one hand, charcoal in the other.

The banging continued “Prince Callum!”

“Wha?” Callum slowly awoke. “RightImcomming!” He spoke as he yawned. He looked out the window. The sun was already making its way up in the sky. _Is it that late in the morning?_ Callum groaned. He had fallen asleep at his desk. His back ached. He stretched, and stumbled to the door, his eyes still groggy. He opened the door, and…

“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday prince Callum… Happy birthday to you!” Callum was stunned. Before him stood the crow master, the captain of the guard, several guards and servants and a baker he vaguely recognized from the city. In front of the door was a giant plate with all kinds of delicious treats. And then it hit him. _It IS my birthday!_ Callum reeled, steading himself against the doorpost.

“Guys… you didn’t have to do this!” He faked a smile.

“Nonsense prince Callum! It is your birthday, and we are very glad you are back with us. The entire city has prepared a festival for you to enjoy today.”

“That’s…great. That’s great! Thank you so much...” Callum looked around. All the servants and the guards were looking at him expectantly. “Well, thank you for doing this. It really means a lot to me. I’m going to get dressed in something more representable, so I’ll see you at the festivities?”

The guards and servants smiled, nodded and slowly dispersed as Callum grabbed the plate and closed the door behind him. His arms trembled as he set the plate down somewhere, and he let himself fall against the cold stone wall and sink to the floor. Sobs broke through. _My birthday… it’s my birthday…_ He was alone. No Ezran, no Rayla, and no king harrow, not anymore. He had made it a tradition to draw his family on his birthday, so he could see how much he had improved. It had been hard when his mother had passed. Callum felt the stab of pain in his chest. He was scared. He didn’t want to go through this alone, but there was no one around. No one…

A knock on the door, short but insistent. Callum waited. He was in no state to open the door, and though he longed for some company, he didn’t want the guards or servants, he wanted his friends.

Another knock. “Callum? Callum!” Callum groaned. He did not feel in the mood for Belt’s antics.

“Callum, I’ve got some news. Great news! Ow, and some bad news too I guess.”

With a heavy sigh, Callum got up. He wiped away the tears on his cheeks and opened the door an inch.

“What?” Callum grumbled.

“Oh, hi Callum!” Belt said with excitement. “I just got word that your brother was seen in the outskirts of the city! They’ll arrive within the hour I recon!”

Callum’s eyes widened slightly. _Ezran is back!_ His smile returned and he opened the door. “That’s great news!”

Belt smiled. “I thought you might like it!”

“Hold up, I’ll be right out.” Callum closed the door. Belt waited in the hallway as he heard the slamming of closet doors and the rustling of clothing. When the door opened, a much cheerier prince Callum appeared, wearing fine, easy fitting clothing. He was still wearing his trademark scarf. “Let’s go! We might as well enjoy a bit of the festivities before Ezran arrives!”

Callum rushed down the hallway. Belt hesitated for a moment. He still hadn’t told him the bad news. But Callum looked so happy! He figured it could wait a while. He chased after Callum as they both made their way to the city centre.

The rest of the day could easily be described as one of Callum’s happiest days these past few months. The festivities distracted them from his urge to get back to Rayla, and while people were still uncertain about what had happened to their soldiers, the people still loved their prince. Flea markets were put up in the streets, shops would give discounts to all wearing a red scarf and various activities could be done within the city. Belt tagged along out of habbit, and Callum didn’t seem to mind.

The crowning moment that day was when the bells at the gates signalled the kings return. The city was buzzing with the news, and Callum sprinted to the main road to intercept his brother. He was well on time, for his brother too enjoyed the festival and took his time making his way to the castle.

Callum pressed through the crowd and shouted. “Ezran! Ezran, over here!” Ezran didn’t hear him at first, being offered pieces of pie to try out by a baker and gladly indulging in it.

“Perhaps you should throw a rock to get his attention!” Callum gave Belt a glare at his suggestion, but he merely shrugged. “Hey, it worked for me!”

Callum pressed forward, finally reaching the column of nobles. The guards automatically moved to stop him, his face being just another one in the crowd, but it was Opili who recognized him first. “Let him through!” she said to the guards and they let Callum pass.

Belt pushed himself through as well, saying “I’m with him, you know, formal crown business?” The guards gave him a look, but he seemed harmless and Callum nodded as well.

“It’s good to see you my prince. Happy birthday.” Opili said in a formal manner, but Callum could see in her eyes that she meant it.

“Thank you Opili. It’s so great to see you guys!”

Ezran turned around as he heard his brothers voice, his face completely stuffed with pie. “Hawfy bwirfdaai!”

Callum laughed, glad to see his brother like this. “Thanks Ezran! I see you are enjoying yourself!” Callum had to laugh at Ezran’s irresistible urge to stuff his face with pies and tarts whenever he saw them.

Ezran swallowed the mouthful but coughed when not all of the pie went down the right way. “So, how are things in the capital?”

“Well, you know the usual. Actually, there was some unrest because people didn’t know what happened to the army. I guess that’s something you should clear up.”

Opili nodded. “The soldiers that had joined Viren will need guidance. They haven’t done anything wrong per sé. They followed the leader of Katolis, as a good soldier should. They also need help. Their transformation seems to be permanent. At least, they were still in that state when we left the checkpoint.”

Belt muttered some questions as to what this ‘transformation’ might mean, but his question was lost as Callum heard the word ‘checkpoint.’

“You’ve established a checkpoint already!?” Callum nearly shouted.

Opili nodded. “We used the old fortresses. Both armies have been put to work to building a bridge, with the sunfire elves providing recources. It should be the fastest build bridge yet!”

Callum turned to Ezran. “Ezran… KING Ezran, I…” Callum wanted more than anything to get his horse and ride straight to the Storm Spire with the evidence he’d gathered, but he didn’t want to seem rude, and he needed his brothers seal as well.

Ezran looked at his brother and recognized his plight. “I know Callum.” His face turned serious. “You can go to Rayla, we won’t stop you. But there’s something you should know first.” He beckoned Callum to come closer.

“Oh?” he said as he leaned in.

Whispering as much as he could in the crowd, Ezran told him what he had seen in his vision through Zym. “I saw all the dragons get together to discuss the war with the humans.”

“Huh? When did you see that?” Callum couldn’t quite hide his disbelief.

Ezran noticed. “Eh… I sometimes get… messages from Zym? More like visions. It happened before, when you were crossing the lava. You had to get Zym to fly to block out the sun.”

Callum stared for a bit. He found it hard to belief that Ezran could see what Zym could see. However, Ezran already had the power to talk to animals. It wasn’t that hard to imagine there was more to Ezran’s powers than they both knew. And his description of the event was correct as well, as it wasn’t something he had shared with anyone else yet.

“Huh, well what do you know.” Callum said at length. “So what’s so important about those dragons?”

“Well, remember the king dragon? He asked some black dragon to do something to you.”

Callums eyes widened with shock. “Wait, what!?”

“Keep it down!” Ezran looked around. Opili was watching him, but gave them the privacy they desired. The guards kept the crowd at a reasonable distance, who was still cheering and waving as the rest of the column slowly marched towards the castle. The guy Callum brought with him was watching them very closely, but when their eyes met, he quickly looked in the other direction and pretended not to look. Ezran thought it very suspicious.

“Right… so I don’t think he’s supposed to kill you, more like to see if you are really a good guy. It had to do with you using dark magic.”

Callum’s face got a dark look. “Oh, that.” _Why does this keep coming back to me!? It’s not fair!_ Callum quickly pushed his thoughts to the back of his head and forced a smile. “Well, they’ve got nothing to worry about. I destroyed most of Viren’s work, and I’m bringing the spellbooks with me to give to King Aureum Umbra. I hope that’s enough proof.”

Ezran smiled back. “I know, I never doubted you!”

Callum’s smile turned genuine. “So, can I leave?”

Ezran nodded, then frowned. “You need a seal though. We designed one at the checkpoint together with queen Aanya so that the elves could see what our seal was. We have a prototype with us.” Then Ezran’s face lit up “Actually, I think that this is a great birthday gift! Opili?”

Opili nodded and produced a scroll, bound with a ribbon. Opili unbound it so Callum could see its contents. “This is the seal that will be given to whoever wishes to cross into Xadia. You need to present this to your aunt, as well as Janai who represents Xadia on the other side of the border.”

Callum held up his hands to take the scroll, but hesitated. “Wait, don’t you need it to make more copies?”

Opili shook her head. “We have the stamp already forged, and the wording of the letter doesn’t matter. What does is that the stamps on the paper are correct. So be careful with those.”

“Thank you so much!” He looked at his brother. They were home at last, but he felt selfish wanting to leave so soon. “Ezran, I’m sorry I can’t stay any longer.”

Ezran laughed. “Callum, it’s alright! I’ll be fine, though I hope you’ll come back soon and bring Rayla with you.” Callum smiled at that. Opili coughed and gave Ezran a pointed look.

“Yeah… there is one other thing Callum.” Callum looked wary at the pair, afraid that they would throw a wrench in their plans.

“Since you are a prince, you represent Katolis. That means you’ll have certain… duties?” Ezran looked uncertain at Opili, who just nodded with approval. “You can’t just go away. You need to make sure that what you do is in service of Katolis.”

“Alright, go on.” Callum said carefully, wondering where this would lead.

“So, we’ve decided that it’s alright for you to become a real mage and study in Xadia. But there are three conditions.” Ezran watched his brother’s reaction, feeling nervous that he was now in a position where he had to command his big brother. Callum tried not to show his own trepidation and remained silent.

“Okay, so first of all, you must send updates back home on your progress. Second, once you return, you must pick an apprentice so you can spread the knowledge of magic through the kingdom of Katolis.” Callum nodded. So far, that was completely in line with his plans.

Ezran took a deep breath. “Thirdly, you must be available for diplomatic missions whenever we need you to. You’ll be in Xadia, so you’ll be our ambassador for the time being.”

“At least until we have a real ambassador across the border.” Opili supplied.

Callum nodded. “Alright, that seems doable. So… am I free to go.”

Opili nodded. Ezran grabbed his arm. “Go to her Callum. Tell her I said hi!”

Callum grinned. “Thanks Ezran.” He kneeled and hugged his brother.

“Take a detail of guards with you when you leave. You are still our prince.” Opili said when he stood up.

Callum nodded and broke away from the group, towards the castle. Bringing a group of guards with him was something he was hoping to avoid, since it could slow him down. Then again, he couldn’t use his mage wings _and_ carry all those books. He may very well need those guards to get them up the mountain. He rushed back to the castle, passing Belt along the way.

“Hey! Wait up! Where are you going!?” Belt shouted after him.

“Back to the castle! I got the seal! It’s time to head on out of here!” Callum shouted. _And there is one more thing that I need to do…_

-/-/-/-

Callum stood in front of the empty study. All that remained was the furniture and some empty boxes. Callum took a deep breath. _Well, I did say I was going to thrash it._ Callum wasn’t a hate bearing person, but he was angry at Viren for causing this mess, and felt justified in venting his anger on the furniture of what once was Viren’s study. He breathed in deeply and traced the rune of aspiro. Releasing his breath and, in his mind, the pent-up frustration of the last month he blew against the furniture. Tables toppled, and chairs went flying. Several boxes broke apart against the wall. Then he used fulminis against a particularly large bookcase, causing a large chunk of the wood to break off and fly away. Callum used the aspiro spells to tear off the curtains and fulminis to destroy the book shelves. Several guards came rushing towards the entrance of Viren’s old study to see what was going on. Callum shot lightning and bookcases and chairs exploded into pieces of wood, boxes went flying through the air. Soon he was panting from the enervation of casting so many spells in rapid succession. He only used aspiro one more time, this time to blow out the small flames that were present from several impacts of his lighting spells.

 _It is done,_ he thought. The room was a mess. Callum figured the only things that weren’t destroyed of Viren’s private property were the paintings. Those were stored away in boxes in hidden dungeons. Viren’s portrait was left untouched only because his stepfather was in it. And Callum still couldn’t believe Claudia was evil, so he had saved all portraits of her as well. _More likely she had to do those things because her father told her to._

“Well, you certainly did a number on the place.” Callum turned around to find Belt standing in the doorway.

“Oh, this? Well… he got what was coming to him.” Callum said as he looked over the destruction he brought to this room.

Belt laughed and walked through the rubble towards him. “Hey, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Hmmm?” Callum turned around. Belt had an unreadable look on his face which put Callum on edge.

“I need to leave you for now.”

“What, so soon? I thought you’d join me! You know, two humans wanting to study magic in Xadia!” Callum had looked forward to the prospect of having more humans learn primal magic. It would mean he wasn’t alone, that others could do it as well.

“Well, maybe I’ll catch up with you on your journey, but I need to head north for a bit. I don’t know how long it will take.” he said while avoiding his eyes.

“Up north? That’s… pretty broad. What do you need to do?”

“That’s… my own concern.” Belt’s eyes met his. Callum was taken aback. All of a sudden, Belt didn’t appear to be an awkward young adult anymore. His eyes were hard and icy. Callum was confused. He had figured Belt was an awkward young man, and it struck Callum only now that he had been very trusting of a stranger he knew absolutely nothing about.

“Right… okay, well, you do you, you know?” Callum awkwardly replied.

Belt just smiled. He stuck out his hand. “Good luck prince Callum. I hope that Ibis will see a great apprentice in you.”

Callum shook his hand, still a bit shaken. “Right, yeah, maybe you know... if the dragon king will let me.”

“You’ll persuade him, I think.” Belt patted him on the shoulder and walked out of the room. Callum stared after him until he was out of sight.

 _What a strange man…_ he thought. Callum had mixed feelings about Belt leaving. Belt had the makings of a friend he thought, but there was something about him that he’d only just noticed. Something lurking below the surface. Callum figured that Belt probably had some problems or personal issues to deal with. He just hoped he’d be alright.

He stood up and walked through the room, planning to take one last look before departing for Xadia. He looked at the remains of the desk the archmage must have worked at every day, and felt some satisfaction that the last remains of Viren’s presence were now finally destroyed. Then, Callum noticed something. A hollow piece of wood stuck out between the rubble. In it was a small, leather book. It looked quite unremarkable, but Callum figured it must be important if it had been hidden within the desk. _Maybe a diary?_

Callum was curious, but also wary of reading something of such a personal nature. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what went on in that man’s head. Still, curiosity got the better of him. He skipped through the pages, skimming the text. “These are notes…” Callum muttered as he moved from page to page. _As far as I can tell, they are about magic and artifacts from Xadia_. A marker stuck out from the book. Callum flipped to the page with the marker. _These seem to be notes about some object Viren was searching…_ His mind was racing as he read the final passage on that page.

“…While the existence of such an object remains open to debate, it cannot be denied that a great many heroes of Xadia had possession of something of a similar nature. They all had an object that gave them great power and helped them overcome their obstacles. Therefore, as high mage of Katolis, it is of extreme importance that I come into possession of this ‘Heart of a Dragon’.”

-/-/-/-

The cloud whooshed past as Rayla fell to her death. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. The ocean rushed up to meet her. Rayla made herself small, and managed to minimize the impact. As soon as she was in the water, she opened her eyes. Again, she saw the familiar figures of her friends and family sinking below. She knew that if she tried to swim towards one of them, all the others would immediately be pulled down, as if suddenly grabbed invisible tentacles. And if she tried to surface, she would suffer the same fate. Rayla fought to keep her terror of the bottomless ocean under control. _There is no way out. No way, but…down._ Having nothing left to lose, and almost out of breath, she stared at the pit below, waiting for her air to run out. The abyss stared back at her. All of a sudden, she saw a flicker. Two blue sparks of light, and a black shape moving down in the water. Rayla didn’t know what it was, but with the precious few seconds she had, she figured it must be responsible for drowning her and her friends. She mustered her willpower and swam deeper down. With long strokes she went deeper and deeper, the light fading. Her lungs burned. She led the air escape, but tried her best to keep the water out. Deeper she went. Again, she saw the flicker of lights, two blue glowing eyes, staring at her from the deep. With her last bit of air, she let out a cry as she reached for her sword, as water rushed in her body.

She woke up with a cry, her hand outstretched as if holding her sword. Rayla breathed heavily. Eventually she could calm herself. _Damn these nightmares!_ She washed her face and looked in the mirror. She looked pale and her face appeared thinner than usual. These nightmares were getting more frequent, maybe once every two nights. She would go to sleep feeling nervous about whether she would get one. But tonight, something was different. She had _seen_ something there. Something was watching her in her sleep. She thought that maybe it was just part of her own twisted imagination, but her instinct told her that this wasn’t the case. _Something has its eye on me… and I’m going to find out what it is…_

-/-/-/-

Claudia crushed the little beetle in her fingers and incanted the spell. Viren couldn’t hear what spell it was from this distance, but he knew that there were only a few spells that used such beetles, so it was easy to guess. With the beetle’s magic energy, she transformed the small heap of sand into a small loaf of bread. The crowd around her was astounded. Viren watched from atop the cliff as Claudia instructed a dozen or so new members of their little ‘group’ in the art of dark magic. Soon, every one of them had crushed a beetle and attempted to copy the spell, some succeeding, most failing and some fainting in the process. Still, more people were learning the art, and Claudia was becoming more and more adept at both dark magic and leading these new members of their order. ‘The True Light’ they had called themselves. But only because Viren thought that Claudia’s suggestion, ‘the Superb Army of Darkness’, was too negative for their purposes. Viren had watched their progress with a mixture of pride and trepidation. It had been close to a month since his resurrection. And in all that time, he hadn’t cast a single spell…

“You spend a lot of time up here Viren. Is something bothering you?” Viren turned around to meet Aaravos, or rather, his butterfly avatar.

“Claudia is doing well.” He said, avoiding the question. “I think it won’t be long before we can send another group to one of the kingdoms to spread the word.”

“Good, good! We need more followers. Humanity needs to be stronger if it is to stand against Xadia. Especially if we are to rally against the dragons.” The voice of Aaravos was still sweet and heavy with promise. But Viren turned away, and it didn’t go unnoticed.

“What’s wrong Viren? Ever since our…little stunt at the Storm Spire, you haven’t been the same.”

“Yeah, dying does that to a man.” Viren replied bluntly. When he saw the still questioning pose in the creature, he sighed. “Dark magic alone will not be enough, or at least not the spells that we have at our disposal.” He gestured at the crowd below. “Turning dust to bread are mere parlour tricks compared to what the arch mages of Xadia can do! We need more power!”

“Yes, that we do. I have good news in that regard.” The creature watched Viren intently. “What if I told you that there is a way to master all the six primal elements?”

Viren’s eyebrows shot up. “I’d say that this is something incredible, and I would be very interested.”

“Good. To the north of here is a lone mountain in the desert. We must go there and slay a being called the ‘emperor reigar’.”

Viren thought for a moment. “I know of reigars. Silverwinged birds I believe. Whats different about this one?”

“The emperor reigar is born with four wings instead of two, with each wing containing a single magic property. If done properly, that magic property can be used via dark magic if you use its feathers as the ingredients.”

“Really? And what magical properties are those?” Viren asked, now clearly interested.

“No one knows. Each emperor reigar has different powers. We won’t know until we find it. I only know that it’s there.”

“And how do you know that?” Viren stepped towards the creature. He still had the feeling Aaravos was holding back on him, even though he kept helping them even after his defeat.

But the creature didn’t give Viren his answer. Instead it says, “Be ready at sunrise tomorrow. Then we will leave.” It jumped in the air and flew away.

Viren watched it fly away before turning his gaze back down towards his daughter who was helping the various members of his group. He sighed and reached into his robe. He had received word from Muardalt. He reported that he and his friends had established himself in the capital of Duren under the guise of mystical healers and had begun to attract a following of people who also want to learn more about this new ‘belief’. At the same time, they had spread propaganda about the elves in taverns to get the people of Duren to turn against Xadia. Muardalt said he is intent on keeping the two groups separate, so that if one fails, the other is not compromised. _A bolt plan_ , Viren thought, _but because of that it just might work._

Viren sensed a presence behind him. Seeing as he could still see Claudia at work below him, he figured that Aaravos must have returned for something. “I thought we were done for the day, Aara-“. Viren had turned around, but instead of the purplish butterfly creature, before him stood a massive black dragon, watching him with pupilless blue shining eyes. Viren’s eyes widened with shock.

“Viren of Katolis, the infamous dark mage. We meet again.” Its deep voice softly rumbled.

Viren was to shocked to utter any words. He tried to think of a way out of this situation. The only weapon he had was his staff, but he doubted that without other support he could fend off the dragon for long.

“I’ve been watching your actions. They intrigue me. I have some questions for you, but I must warn you. Do not attempt to harm me.” Its eyes narrowed as he uttered the warning.

Viren coughed and tried to regain composure. “Zeron, wasn’t it? We saw you at the dragonmoot… as you saw us.”

“Yes, a curious thing, to spy in the heart of the dragon’s lair. I hope it was worth your while.”

“Why didn’t you attack us?” Viren blurted out. He had to know.

“Because that would not gain me anything. Besides, you have a more important role to play.” Viren was struck by how different this dragon was. In appearances, it was half the size of Thunder, completely black and hairless. It had six or eight black horns of various sizes that adorned his head, and its entire body was composed of shiny black scales. Viren was used to see at least some variant of colour or hair. Then again, Viren had to admit that he had never seen all types of dragons. He wondered if this was a stardragon.

“Alright. What then can I do for you?” Viren said as he tried to look regal, losing the last of his hostile stance against the creature.

“You are training others in the ways of dark magic, and have recently send a group towards Duren. I want to know your intend.”

Viren pressed his lips together. He didn’t want to divulge his plans to the enemy, even though this dragon hadn’t attacked him yet. However, he wondered if lying would get him very far. He and his group below the cliff were ill matched against this creature. Viren also wondered if its smaller size also meant if it was less powerful, or if that too was a ruse, a way for it to lull others into a false sense of security.

“We want others to learn dark magic. Below, my daughter is teaching her students to turn dust into bread, so that their children may not starve. In Duren, a friend of mine is setting up a healers post to help people in need. Is that wrong?” Viren said the last bit in a patronizing tone.

The dragon said nothing for a moment, but narrowed its eyes. “If so pure your intentions, why did you try to conquer the Storm Spire? Why kill the dragon prince?”

Viren felt forced to answer truthfully, at least partly. “Because in the entire history of mankind, no dragon has ever had the best interest of humanity at heart.”

Again, the dark dragon remained silent for a while, then it got up. “Very well, Viren of Katolis. Thank you for answering my questions. You have told me much of value.”

Viren wondered if there was some hidden meaning in that comment, but didn’t ask as the dragon turned to fly away.

“One more thing Viren. If I may offer some advice?” The dragon turned its head back towards Viren, who raised his staff slightly, not wanting to offend but not wanting to be defenceless either. “Tread carefully in your dealings with Aaravos. No power comes for free.”

Viren could do nothing but contemplate what Zeron had said as he watched for the second time that day a creature of great power fly away.


	8. Reunited

Ezran sat on the throne, feeling tired. Only the guards were left in the throne room. He had dismissed Opili and the rest of the court moments ago. He wanted some time alone to think. He looked at the messages on his lap. The country was in uproar. In general, there was a lack of understanding why they were no longer at war with Xadia, after everything that had happened. Ezran sighed. The only bright spot was that the decree to ban dark magic had been received calmly. Katolis only ever had one dark mage after all, so the influence felt by the commoners was minimal. That and the fact that people were horrified when they saw what Viren had done to their soldiers. Ezran hoped that Callum would find a solution for that.

His eyes drooped. A nap would do him good, he figured. Normally, he would retire to his room, but he knew that the moment he stepped outside the throne room he would be assailed by people from his court for this and that. _No,_ he thought _, I am the king. I might as well nap here._

“I’m worried, my king.”

“Hrmpf.” A grunt was the only response.

“There’s something wrong with her. I can understand heartbreak, but it looks like it’s something more. Whatever it is, it’s eating away at her health.”

A large bug flew through the chamber. Zym chased at, but through him, Ezran could still hear the conversation going. 

“She’s a strong warrior. I’m sure she’ll be fine.” king Aereum Umbra replied. 

Ezran saw the massive form of the queen shift from the corner of Zym’s eye. “You know more about this! What did you do?” The queen hissed.

“What a king must. Enough about this now!” The king replied, more tersely this time.

“Just promise me that you will take care of her.” 

Ezran couldn’t see his reaction, but he heard hesitation in the kings voice. “...I’ll see what I can do.” 

When Ezran woke, he was worried, very worried. Something was wrong with Rayla, and it had to do with something between the king and that black dragon. Also, whatever happened to Rayla could happen to Callum as well! Ezran thought for a while. He made up his mind and called for the crow master. He had to stay in the capital at least for a few weeks, but it was time to take action against this king Aureum Umbra. And he knew a strong and wise queen in Duren who could help him with this.

-/-/-/-

The sun had set. Rayla looked towards the horizon as a stab of pain went through her chest. _Still no Callum._ Her hair stuck to her face, and her eyes were sunken and red. She was a wreck. The nightmares had continued throughout the week, depriving her of a good-night sleep. She tried to put up a brave face and barrelled through her various duties, but she was slipping and she knew it. _The queen knows as well,_ she thought. _Heck, probably the whole dragonguard, even the king!_ She winced. To fail so shortly after her promotion, after receiving that much praise. _Garlath, just kill me already,_ she half-mockingly sent a prayer towards the vengeful deity of the moonshadow elves. 

She didn’t know how to stop the nightmares. She had talked to the queen about it, but she couldn't give her any helpful tips either. The queen recommended herbs that would sooth her state of mind, but it would take a while for those herbs to arrive here. So, in the meantime, she was stuck. Rayla sat down on the ground, her shift being almost over. Nothing had happened that day. She knew how the rest of the evening would go. She would freshen up a bit before grabbing dinner with the others, pretending that everything’s fine, and would talk and laugh with the new members of the dragonguard before they all settled in for the night, except for the ones doing the night shift. 

That’s when the fear would start.

Rayla both longed and feared going to sleep. The nightmares were constant, and intense. They weren’t always the same though. She started to remember more and more of them. Sometimes she would run through the woods searching for someone, at other times she was in a burning building. And the horrible part was that it always ended up with people dying. She could try to save them, but she could never save them all. Rayla pressed her eyes shut. She felt her chest heave with a sob. Her tears were long gone, and the hope of Callum returning was fading fast. She was desperate. She didn know what to do.

With a heavy sigh, she got up and walked towards the hall, dreading the night to come. Just as she reached the entrance, she heard a sound behind her. She turned, half reaching for her sword, not really expecting trouble but being careful nonetheless. A skywing elf appeared in the twilight, wearing orange and red robes Rayla recognized as sunfire elf attire. The elf landed on the plateau before the entrance.

“Greetings! I have a message for the captain of the dragonguard.”

Rayla approached cautiously. “That would be me.” 

The elf squinted as he looked at her. “Really? You look a bit young… what’s your name?” 

Rayla gathered her strength and straightened her back. “I am Rayla of Xadia, captain of the dragonguard. Now what’s the message?”

The elf shrugged. “I don’t know. It is in a sealed scroll.” The elf handed over the scroll. Rayla vaguely recognized the symbol of Katolis on the seal. “It was delivered to as at the Breach.” 

Raylas heart beat in her chest. She looked at the skywing elf. “Thank you! Thanks a lot!” 

The elf laughed at her enthusiastic response. “You re welcome. You know, you look tired, you should get some sleep.” 

Rayla shot an irritated look at the elf, but he already took off and flew away. She stared at the scroll. _Could this really be from…?_ She hastened back inside, ignoring all feelings of hunger or exhaustion, heading straight for her room. She closed the door, lit the candle and jumped on her bed. Her hand trembled. Did she really want to open the scroll? Should she perhaps be afraid of the news it could contain? She thought of Callum. He had a scroll once that he didn't want to open at first. But he did in the end, and he was glad for it. Rayla took a deep breath and broke the seal.

_Dear Rayla,_

_Should I write ‘dear’? Is that how elves address other elves in letters? I really don't know. There's still so much I don't know about elves, or about you for that matter! Do elves get sick? And do you like jelly tarts? Alright, sorry, I’m rambling._

_It has been two weeks, three days and a couple of hours since I've last seen you (not that I’ve been counting of course!), and… I miss you. Actually, that doesn't do it justice. I don't have words to describe how much I miss you. And I’m sorry if that sounds clingy. I know you're probably very busy with the dragonguard stuff. How is that going by the way? What do you need to do as captain? Do you get your own army or something? I do hope they will allow you to write back..._

_So, after being stuck with the caravan for two weeks, I decided to fly ahead of the caravan. I just wanted to get back to you so much! So I knew I had to hurry. It was a long flight, and I had to camp along the way, but that’s something we've done before a lot lately . Did you know they nearly shot me when I arrived at the castle!? Can you imagine…_

_In the week that followed I met a man called Belt. He hit me with a rock in the face, but he wanted to learn magic, so we hung out for the week. I don't think Opili would have approved, but she wasn't around, so you know, I kinda get to do my own thing for once. We then got to work on Virens room. It was… quite interesting and quite scary. I don't know how to feel about it. I know he was Claudias father and all that, but some of the stuff that Viren had in his room, and in the dungeon was...just horrible. I’ll spare you the details. We’re just going to destroy it all, and I’ll bring the remaining spell books as proof to King Aureum Umbra. How is he to you by the way? Do you get along with the king and queen well? I think the king is way too strict and a big bully. I do hope you get the letter and that they don't check it._

_Well anyway, I’m thinking about you and I really miss you. I hope that Ezran arrives soon, so I can leave. It will take a few weeks (maybe months? Gods, I hope not!), but I’m sure I’ll get there eventually. I don't know what to write anymore, and my hand is starting to cramp. I'm sorry if the letter isn’t long enough, but to make up for it, I included a couple of sketches I did. They're not my best work, but I hope they show you how I feel about you._

_Love you, like the moon loves the sun (too poetic? I don't know!!!)_

_Callum_

Tears were streaming down her face. Her heart fluttered. _He thinks about me too!_ A big smile was plastered on her face. A lot of passages were so typically Callum. She liked the awkwardness with which he moved through the world, never quite sure how to act, but always trying still. She giggled at his ‘poetic’ finisher. It was way too cheesy, but still it made her feel warm that he tried so much. 

She put the letter aside and looked through the various pages filled with sketches. She recognized some as part of their previous adventures. There was one cartoonishly drawn one where Callum tried to drag a kicking and screaming Rayla to the lake they’d been, but also a more detailed one of her wearing a dress. She blinked. She had never worn a dress in her life! But looking at the sketch she discovered that Callum had used his imagination to create some sort of fantastical outfit for her. She found that she quite liked the thought of that. She gasped as she saw the last of his sketches. This one was hastily done, rather abstract and crude, but the essence and likeness was unmistakable. She saw the two of them together making out, heads mashed together. Rayla blushed. She had wondered what it would look like to the other elves. Now she knew. 

She stared at the sketches for a long time, and reread the letter a dozen times. Still holding the sketch of them kissing, she slowly drifted to sleep, all her hunger and pain completely forgotten. 

-/-/-/-

She stood atop the spire. The clouds were dark and the wind was blowing. Fear settled in her stomach. _Another nightmare._ The thought shot through her, and instantly she was aware of her situation. She saw Callum to her right, dangling above the edge of the cliff as if held by some invisible force. To her left, she saw her mother in the air as well, her lifeless body swaying in the wind. Rayla was horrified and closed her eyes. “This is just a dream…” she repeated to herself. She remembered the Watcher, as she had called it. In some dreams she had seen that black shape and those blue glowing eyes. She opened her eyes and looked around, ignoring the bodies of the persons she loved. 

Nothing happened for a while. Then, the sound of thunder above her. She looked back and saw that the bodies were falling backwards in slow motion, away from the edge, threatening to plummet to the ground. Rayla gritted her teeth. Each time she had tried to save them in her nightmares, she failed, or only succeeded in one of them. She didn’t want this to happen. And if it was a nightmare, it was _her_ nightmare. The faint memory of Callum’s letter popped into her mind. She steeled herself, and watched as the bodies disappeared over the edge. “This is just a dream.” She said to herself, quietly, trying to calm herself.

The wind stopped blowing, and it became very quiet. Her hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she felt something shift behind her. Dread returned as she slowly turned around. There, in front of her, loomed a giant dark shadow with blue glowing eyes, vaguely resembling a dragon. 

“An interesting choice.” It rumbled. 

“Who are you?” Rayla hissed. She reached for her swords, but found that they weren’t there. The dark shadow watched her, but didn’t answer. “Why are you doing this to me!?” Rayla screamed. She was furious. How dare this...thing invade her thoughts and torture her?! In different circumstances she would be a bit more careful about confronting an unknown entity like this, but she wasn’t known for her well thought-out plans and decisions, and she had spend too many nights in her own nightmares to be scared of this thing now. 

The thing shifted around, still watching her, but it seemed uncertain as to what it was to do with the elf, now that it was fully aware in this nightmare. Rayla noticed this as well, and it gave her courage. “Who are you?” She pressed. “Answer me!” 

The creature blinked, and slowly dissolved into mist. Rayla gave a frustrated growl. “No, no, no! Face me you coward! You owe me that much!” 

“Are you sure you want that?” The deep voice rumbled, sounding amused. Rayla couldn’t discern where the voice was coming from.

“Yes!” Rayla shouted back to the mist, now hanging around her. 

Silence. Then a whooshing sound. She turned just in time to see her two swords pierced the ground, blade first, having fallen from the sky. The mist parted on the peak of the Storm Spire, revealing a humanoid figure wearing a long black cloak. The figure still had a shadowy form, being mostly black and grey. It was taller than her, but definitely smaller than most adult elves she knew, and it was wielding a lengthy sword in one hand, pointing it in her direction. Bright blue burning pupiless eyes peered at her from underneath its hood. 

“Come at me then.” The voice spoke ominously. 

Rayla rushed forward towards the figure, pulling her swords from the ground without losing momentum. She sliced at the black figure with both her swords. At the last possible second, the figure blocked her left sword and sidestepped, causing her right sword to miss completely. Rayla instinctively ducked and backed up. Not a moment too soon, as the sword passed through the space where her head was not moments ago. Rayla countered, slicing at the thing’s head with one sword while trying to hook his leg to trip him. The figure was too fast. It parried and sidestepped again, keeping his sword moving in swinging motions as to quickly intercept her blades when necessary. Rayla found herself moving instinctually to its swipes. She recognized the fighting style. It was almost the same as Kiyara’s. Rayla thanked the gods she had sparred so much with her lately, even though she was the guard she liked least. 

The onslaught continued. Rayla would not relent. She swiped and slashed, changing tactics on the fly to keep the figure off balance. The figure appeared adept at parrying her strikes, but could not get a cut in, being at a disadvantage with his one sword against her two. Rayla was a bit puzzled though. _He has reach, but he hasn’t properly attacked yet… is he toying with me?_

She attacked again, but this time instead of backing away to dodge his sword, she blocked and hooked his sword with hers. She was only inches away from him now. She didn’t dwell on it, and gave him a swift kick to the knee. The figure buckled, not expecting that. She didn’t waste time, released his sword and swiped at his head with her hooks, but before she could complete the motion the figure let itself fall to the ground and rolled backwards with unnatural ease. She swore she heard it laugh.

Rayla stood at the edge of the platform. She didn’t feel tired, and figured she couldn’t, not in her own dream or nightmare. That gave her a sense of control. But she had yet to inflict a blow upon the creature in front of her. She watched, as the figure watched her back.

“Who are you?” She tried again. 

“An interested party.” It replied at last.

Rayla considered this. _Interested in what?_ “And what do you want?”

Rayla saw the figure smile, its lips parting in a wicked grin. “That, my dear Rayla, is none of your business. Not yet.” It lowered his sword, and his form began to smoke, slowly dissipating. “You fought well. Till next time.” 

Rayla narrowed her eyes. With inhuman speed, she launched herself at him, leaping in the air to perform one last power strike, half expecting her swords to just pass through the mist, but at least wanting to show that she wasn’t one to be trifled with. But as she leaped at the figure she saw that instead of disappearing or retreating, it simply raised its sword arm. Time seemed to slow down as to her horror she realised her mistake. _He has more reach…_ She tried to twist away, but could do nothing as she descended on the creature and impaled herself on its sword, right below her chest. Pain soared through her as her body went limp, her swords clattering out of her hands. She gasped. _This is too real!_ she thought. She placed her hands on the arm and tried to lift herself, but could not find the strength to do so. The creature stared at her curiously. Rayla let out a strangled cry. With the last bit of anger and rage, she lashed out weakly with one hand. The creature tried to dodge, but couldn’t quite manage with Rayla stuck on his blade, and Rayla knocked his hood off. She looked directly in the figures face. Long black hair adorned his head, and a human face stared back at her. 

“Till we meet again, Rayla.” the figure whispered as he slowly faded, and everything turned black. 

-/-/-/-

Bosor and Kiyara kneeled before the king and queen, their breaths betraying their nervousness. 

“Well? How is she?” Queen Zubeia’s tone was urgent and concerned. 

Bosor rose. “We… don’t know. She won’t wake up. The bleeding has stopped, and the wound to her abdomen bound.”

“Is she in any danger?” 

Bosor shook his head. “Not as far as I can tell. She hasn’t suffered any internal damage…” Bosor’s tone was hesitant. 

“Speak your mind elf.” The king said harshly.

“There was an exit wound. By rights, her insides should have been completely skewered by whatever weapon was used. However, only the skin and muscle was pierced. Either Rayla was very lucky, the assailant was extremely skilled, or.. magic.” Bosor looked down, not satisfied with the explanation he could give them. 

It was silent in the hall. Queen Zubeia was the first to break it. “Who could have done it?”

Bosor hesitated again, but spoke as he saw the king was getting impatient. “We don’t know. For someone to infiltrated the Storm Spire without us knowing seems impossible, but the thought that one of us would have done it is just as unthinkable. The wound only matches one blade around here; Kiyara’s.” He said as he gestured the young elf of mixed blood. Bosor hastily continued his tale. “She couldn’t have done it though, as she was on guard duty that night, and was seen by me and many others.”

The king lowered his head towards Kiyara. “What are your thoughts on this, dragonguard?”

Kiyara now spoke, her voice soft and emotionless. “It is possible someone used a blade similar to mine could have pierced her. However, my blade is rare. It’s design is longer and thinner compared to other blades, but still just as strong, of not stronger. I only know of my mentor to have wielded a similar blade.” 

“Could he have done it?” Queen Zubeia pressed.

Kiyara hesitated. “He was extremely skilful with a sword. He could perhaps have wounded her like this, but… it’s impossible for him to have done it.” 

King Aureum Umbra glared at her. “As of now, everyone is suspect. Tell us why he could not have done it.” 

The hesitation in Kiyara was clearly visible. Bosor looked at her uneasily, not sure whether to trust her anymore. “Tell us!” roared the king.

Kiyara looked to the ground. Her voice was soft, but not cold. There was a tremor present as she spoke. “The reason he couldn’t have done it, is because he was a human. He wouldn’t have the means to climb the Storm Spire. I don’t even know if he’s still alive. He disappeared three years ago.”

“You were trained by a human?” Bosor was surprised, but a hint of disgust was heard in his voice.

Kiyara didn’t reply, but hung her head in shame. Queen Zubeia was worried by the display, but was unsure on how to intervene. The king seemed dismissive of this information however. “If this human is no longer around, perhaps some other is now wielding this blade. Regardless, double the patrols for the next few days.” 

Kiyara nodded, still not daring to raise her head, but Bosor paled. “My lord, we are with but five. We are already stretched thin as it is.” 

“Then I will call upon the dragons to aid you. Hopefully, others will join the dragonguard soon.” 

It was at that moment that Keryn came running into the throne room. He hastily bowed before addressing the king and queen. “My king, my queen. We have visitors approaching the Storm Spire seeking audience.” 

King Aureum Umbra grumbled. “Now is not a good time… who are they?” 

“They are humans, bearing the seal of Katolis. I believe the human mage is with them.”

-/-/-/-

The trek had been long and hard through the desert, but there was no way around it. Even the creature that was Aaravos had to stop and rest now and then, carrying its two passengers as far as it could. They were making camp now in the rocky desolate terrain. 

“Tomorrow we will arrive in the mountain range. Best we rest for now, for tomorrow, we will need our strength.” Aaravos informed them. 

While making camp, Claudia approached her father, who still looked like he only just had been resurrected. His form was still bruised and battered, though his corrupted looks seemed to have disappeared. “Dad, why don’t you use dark magic to look nice again? You look like a zombie. I mean, you always looked like that in the mornings, but now you look like that everyday!” She said jokingly. 

Viren looked at his daughter. He hesitated before answering. “I want us to conserve our strength Claudia. Besides, I see only one butterfly around here, and I don’t think it wants to be used for that spell.” He nodded at Aaravos, who was lying on its belly next to the fire. If the creature heard it’s comment, it didn’t show. 

Claudia smiled. “Yeah, I know. So, how do you want to catch this king rarar?”

Viren looked annoyed. “It’s ‘emperor reigar’. And the first thing we must do is make sure it doesn’t simply fly away. Have you been practicing your tentacle spell?”

Claudia nodded. “Yeah, no worries!” 

“Good. Aaravos will then try to tackle it to the ground, and then I will cut its throat. If it’s anything like the normal reigars, it shouldn’t be bigger than the size of a large dog. Just watch out for its beak. I doubt it could kill you, but you wouldn’t want it to peck out your eye now would you?”

Claudia laughed. “Oh I don’t know! Becoming a pirate always sounded like a good career move to me.” She held one hand up to cover her eye and gestured a hook with her hand. “Aye aye! Raise the sails! Let loose the anchor! Onwards to adventure!”

“Thats… not how it’s done at ships.” Viren deadpanned back. “But alright. I don’t expect much trouble.” In a rare sign of affection, he hugged his daughter with one arm. Together they watched the fire, but Viren always kept one eye on Aaravos, who had remained motionless ever since they landed here. Viren wondered about the nature of that spell. _Was Aaravos remote controlling the creature, or did he actually transfer his consciousness into it somehow?_ He supposed the question was moot as far as they were concerned, but he couldn’t help but wonder about Aaravos his motives. He seemed hellbent on conquering Xadia. _But for what purpose?_ He also wanted to make Viren as powerful as he could be, first by trying to absorb a baby dragon, and now by finding a way to master all six primal elements. Deep down inside, Viren knew he craved that kind of power, but he had always kept himself in check, only pursuing such goals if they were in the interest of humanity. Or was it the other way around? Did he pursue those goals regardless, and told himself it was in humanities best interest? 

Viren sighed. He couldn’t tell what his motives were right now. The only thing he really cared for was his daughter, who had fallen asleep on his shoulder, drool leaking from the corner of her mouth. He just hoped she would be all right in the end. 

-/-/-/-

The Storm Spire rose up before them, piercing the skies. Callum felt his heart beat faster. _I’m going to see Rayla again!_ He couldn’t wait to ascend, but figured it would be impolite to fly ahead of his escorts. Two royal guardsmen on horseback had escorted the prince on his journey. All three of them had large leather saddlebags carrying the various forbidden tomes containing dark magic spells. 

Callum had already spotted a flying elf circling them. He waved, wondering if that was Ibis, but he couldn’t quite see from the distance. He sighed. He remembered the long way up. “Alright, let’s do this…” He cast ventus spiralis on the guards, and leaving the horses at the bottom of the mountain, all three of them began to ascend. 

It took them the entire day to reach the top. It was dark when Callum and his guardsman walked across the bridge. The guardsmen were on edge however, and so was Callum. On the plateau in front of them stood five figures with weapons at the ready. Callum saw a skywing elf, two moonshadow elves, a giant elf in bronze armour and an elf who was cloaked and had its features hidden. _This must be the new dragonguard,_ he thought. He didn’t see Rayla however, and that made him uneasy. 

“Halt.” The armoured elf said as they reached the plateau. “Who climbs the Storm Spire?”

“ I am prince Callum of Katolis. I’m…” he almost wanted to say he was looking for Rayla, but caught himself at the last moment, figuring he needed to do this the political way. “I-I seek audience with King Aureum Umbra.” 

“Present your seal!” 

Callum presented his papers. The armoured elf towered over him as he glanced at the papers. Callum noticed his hesitation, but didn’t comment on them, instead looking around for Rayla. She didn’t appear to be here at all. _I wonder where she is._

After what seemed a really long time, the elf seemed to reach a conclusion. “Very well. Follow me.” The group of elves parted to let them through and together with the guardsmen Callum entered the familiar halls. He still didn’t spot Rayla.

“Uhm… where is… your captain I guess?” 

“That is none of your concern.” was the curt reply. 

Callum was taken aback by that. “Oh.” He was confused. Certainly if Rayla was around, then she would take the opportunity to see him if she knew he was coming? He had even sent a letter! _So why isn’t she here!?_ His teenage mind began to fill his head with dreadful scenarios. _Maybe something happened to her… or worse, maybe she discovered she doesn’t love me after all!_ He pushed those thoughts back however, as he entered the great hall where the dragons were waiting for them. 

“Welcome back, prince Callum.” King Aureum Umbra rumbled. “It is good to see you in good health.” 

Callum wondered if the dragon really cared about his health, and figured he was just being polite. “Thank you, king Aureum Umbra.” Callum said as he bowed. “It is good to be back.”

The king nodded, and an awkward silence ensued. Callum debated whether he should try to engage in small talk with the dragons, but failed to come up with any topics that might interest them that didn’t have to do with politics. “So… lovely weather here at the spire?” 

Queen Zubeia rumbled, which could be interpreted as a laugh. She ignored the question, and asked one of her own. “How was your journey homewards? How fares Katolis?”

“Oh, Katolis is alright! King Ezran returned a week and a half ago, and the people seemed quite happy. In fact, they were quite mad at Viren for turning soldiers into monsters, so they were glad when dark magic was banned in the kingdom.” 

“That is good to hear.” the king spoke. “Tell me then, did you succeed in your endeavour?”

“Oh! Uhm, well, I mean, I trashed his room, Viren’s I mean, and.. hum… yeah.” Callum just grabbed the bags and dumped the contents on the floor. “These are all the spell books Viren had. I destroyed all the ingredients and burned other books talking about dark magic,” He looked up towards the dragon. “Dark magic is now officially gone from Katolis.”

King Aureum Umbra leaned closer, his head hovering above Callum and the spell books. He made a motion in the earth with his claw and whispered something in draconic, but Callum couldn’t really understand the words. All of a sudden, the books flipped open and the dragon looked intently at its contents.

“These are indeed the spell books you spoke of. Stand back prince.” the king said as he breathed in and raised his head. 

Callum saw what was coming and sprinted back a couple of yards, taking the guards by the elbow to push them back as well. The king then breathed out and searing heat escaped his mouth as a beam of blue and white light tore down upon the books. Callom watched in awe as this beam of pure heat and energy reduced the books to cinders. He had always theorized that the different species of dragons had different breath weapons, but was in awe as he saw one in action up close. 

“You have done well, prince Callum. Now, queen Zubeia has told me that you want to study in Xadia to become adept at primal magic?” 

Callum nodded, not yet fully recovered from the shock of the blast.

“We will consider this request. You will have our answer tomorrow. You may go now.” He said as he dismissed them.

Callum looked about uncertainly. “Uhm, is there somewhere we can stay in the Spire?”

The king looked slightly annoyed, but it was a reasonable request. “Bosor, show these men to the guest quarters.”

“Yes my liege.” Bosor said as he bowed. He gestured to follow them, but Callum hesitated.

“Excuse me. One more thing. Where is Ray- sorry, captian Rayla?” 

It was queen Zubeia who now answered. “She has fallen ill. Don’t be alarmed, she is recovering quite well, but something happened to her, and we are not sure what it was.”

Callum paled at that, but was secretly glad that there was a good reason for her not to show up when he made his entrance here. “Can I see her?” 

The queen hesitated. “She is recovering Callum. Please, be gentle.”

Callum nodded, and turned to follow Bosor, just as another elf entered the great hall. This was the one with the hood, Callum noted. 

“Your majesty,” the hooded elf spoke, “A dragon called Zeron has arrived and requests an audience.” 

“Send him in.” Came the reply of the king. 

As Callum walked into the hall and was led to the left by Bosor, he saw a big black dragon coming through. Their eyes met. Despite having never seen such a dragon before, he felt a faint flicker of recognition. _There’s something about that dragon,_ he thought. But the moment passed and the dragon disappeared from view as he rounded the corner. He and the guards were let towards their guest quarters, but Callum couldn’t wait to visit Rayla. Bosor didn’t feel at ease with bringing the human to their beloved captain, but the queen didn’t outright forbid the visit, so he couldn’t refuse.

It was dark in the room, being only lit by the light peaking in from the corridor. Bosor had opened the door for him and hesitated. He didn’t want to leave his captain alone with this human, but he had also heard the rumours of their romance. He didn’t approve, so he moved into a corner quietly, as Callum walked to the bed. Rayla was sleeping, her breathing easy and even. _She doesn’t look too bad,_ Callum thought. _I mean, her hair is a bit messy, but that’s about it._

Callum kneeled beside the bed and plucked her hand from beneath the covers. “Rayla…” he whispered, slowly rubbing her hand, enjoying the feel if his fingers on hers. “Rayla, wake up sleepy head.” he softly spoke.

Rayla groaned, and slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a couple of times, before a look of surprise crossed her face. “Callum!?” she said hoarsely. “Your back….” 

Callum felt a warmth spread through his stomach as he saw the loving look in her eyes. “Well of course you dummy. Did you think I could ever stay away?” 

She leaned up towards him with intent, and he moved towards her, finishing in a tender kiss. A cough could be heard from the corner, interrupting the two. 

Rayla looked confused. “Callum? Who is that with you?”

“Oh, one of the guards who showed me where you are. His name is Bossom or something.”

Rayla had to supress a laugh as Callum butchered the elven guard’s name. “Bosor, thank you. You can leave now.” 

“Are you sure captain?”

Rayla sighed. “Yes, I’m sure.”

Bosor slowly walked out of the room and closed the door behind them, sealing them in total darkness. 

“Callum, could you light the luneflame for me? I want to be able to see you.” Rayla groaned as she got into a seating position. Callum couldn’t see her, but felt the movement in the bed.

“Right. What is a luneflame?” 

“It’s a type of candle. It should be on a desk behind me.” She took his hand and pointed him vaguely in the right direction. 

Callum stood up and bumped into a few stools before he found the desk with the candle. He felt around, but couldn’t find any flint and steel. “How do I light it?”

“Just pinch the top part. That should do the trick.” 

Callum did as she said. Blue light erupted as a blue flame appeared on top of the candle. “Whao!”

Rayla let out an uncharacteristic giggle. “Are you easily surprised by magic these days?”

Callum looked at her with a sheepish grin. “Well, sometimes, yeah.” He grabbed a stool and sat next to her, now really looking at her. She was sitting in the bed, wearing a white linen shirt with long sleeves. It was weird to see her wearing anything but her armour. _She looks so...vulnerable._

“So… I got your letter!” 

“Oh, you did? Great! I was worried that it wouldn’t get here, with the checkpoint and all that.”  
Rayla smiled. “I liked the letter Callum, and the drawings even more so. Have you made more?”

Callum grimaced. “Not really. I’ve been so busy trashing Viren’s room and solving other things back home that I didn’t really have the chance to do something like that. It wasn’t the same without you anyway.”

“Oh? You saying you need some inspiration?” Rayla said with a twinkle in her eye, which for some reason made him very nervous. He felt his blood creeping to his cheeks and hoped the soft blue light of the luneflame would do a decent enough job to hide it.

“Well, it is easier when he source material is close at hand. Did you enjoy my sketchbook?”

Now Rayla smiled broadly. “Yes! Thank you so much for borrowing it! It got me through the last few weeks. They’ve been… pretty hard…”

Callum swallowed as he eyed her. She was thinner than before, and looked weaker, and there was a hint of sadness and worry in her smiles. “Rayla, what happened here? Why are you in bed?”

Rayla averted her gaze and was silent for a long time. When she looked at him again, her eyes were filled with tears. “I don’t know Callum. Ever since you’ve been gone I’ve been plagued with nightmares. And I’m not sure if it’s because of everything that has happened the last month, or because some dark force is trying to ruin my life.” She removed the covers. Callum blushed heavily as she lifted her shirt, but was shocked as he saw the bandages with dark stains on them. “One night I dreamt about fighting some evil human. He stabbed me right here, in my stomach. When I awoke, the other dragonguards had already found and bandaged me, because I was lying in my own blood.”

Callum had no words, but he gripped Rayla’s hand tightly. “Who could have done this to you?” he whispered.

Rayla shrugged. “We don’t know. It could be that what happened in my dream, also happens to me in real life. But that doesn’t make sense.” Her eyes weren’t really looking at Callum now, but staring off into the darkness. “I’ve died so many times in those nightmares… so why did this happen now?” She lapsed into silence again. Callum was speechless, and unsure what he should do, but when her shoulders started to shake and her sobs broke through, he hugged her without hesitation.

“It’s not fair!” she said between sobs. “I would have sacrificed myself for Xadia that day. Why don’t I deserve some rest?”

Callum knew she referred to the final battle at the Storm Spire. She had fought Viren, and in a last desperate act had thrown them both of the mountain. He could understand that this could give her nightmares, though why they were so intense he did not know. But he was reminded of some other time when he was stuck in his own nightmare.

“Breathe.”

“Huh?” Rayla untangled herself, looking at him as he spoke.

“Breathe Rayla. Sometimes… sometimes you just need to breathe.” He rubbed her back in slow, deliberate strokes. Rayla felt his hand move across her back. Warmth spread through her belly and she took his advice. She took a deep breath, and another as Callum repeated the words his mother had once said to him.

“Sometimes you just have to focus on the present. Take a deep breath, and just be.”

Rayla Breathed and focused on his voice, his touch.

“If things get so complicated that you can’t sort them out, you just have to take some time for your mind to catch up with your body and spirit. Breathe, and just be.”

Rayla felt an incredible calm come over herself. She felt the knotted muscles in her back relax, and the pain in her abdomen slowly disappeared. Callum looked at her, pleased with the result.

“See? That’s better now.”

Rayla smiled at him in earnest now. “Thanks Callum.” She saw Callum suppress a yawn. “It’s getting pretty late, isn’t it?”

Callum nodded. “It was already night-time when we got here. I’m guessing it’s pretty close to midnight.”

Rayla smiled and looked down, as if contemplating something. She blushed as she moved over. “Would you sleep next to me? There’s a bed over there if you don’t want to!” She hastily added, wanting to give him a way out as to not pressure him. Truth to be told, she really wanted him close to her after all those weeks without him. She bit her lip as she awaited his response. 

Callum swallowed. He nodded, not wanting his voice to betray how nervous he was. He had no illusions about the intent, nor did he think this was the mood for them to passionately make out as they had done in the past. Still, in the short time they were together, they had never really fallen asleep in eachothers arms, and it was something he had always dreamed about. He disrobed, leaving just a shirt and his underpants on.

“Blow the candle for me, will you?” Rayla said as she moved the covers for him.

Callum blew the candle and got into bed. As soon as he lay down, Rayla scooted over towards him and nestled her head on his shoulder. Callum put his arms around her.

“This is nice.” she sighed.

Callum sniggered. “You know, you’ve grown really soft around me, did you notice?”

“Shut up!” Rayla said with a giggle as hit Callum in the ribs.

Callum just laughed and kissed her on her forhead. “I love you Rayla.” he softly whispered into her ear.

“And I love you, my sweat prince.” She pecked him on his cheek and wrapped her arm around him. Soon the both of them drifted off into a blissfully undisturbed sleep.

-/-/-/-

The sound of the sick and dying filled the hall as various priests attended them as fast as they could. Muardalt watched the proceedings with interest and joy. He smiled as he closed the door and walked downstairs to his private sanctum. The plan was coming along swimmingly, with the two groups of dark magic users working in tandem to slowly but surely corrupt the people in Calatheas to their use of dark magic. They had set up shop in the capital of Duren a little less than two weeks ago, but with the influx of wounded soldiers from the battle, they had their work cut out for them. _Sure,_ Muardalt thought¸ _the queen had decreed all dark magic to be banned, but that didn’t stop soldiers coming to their temple. They were desperate to cure their wounds or lift Viren’s curse as they called it._ As soon as it became known that people could go to the Temple of the True Light to get healed for free, they had no shortage of work, but more importantly, they gained more followers every day, as they advertised to teach their magics freely to all who would come to their evening classes.

The queen of course had tried to put a stop to this, but this is where their other group came in. They had organised the people, spreading information about their healing activities, all the while spreading rumours about queen Aanya wanting to keep the people sick and hungry so they would be easier to govern. Because his fellow priests were actively helping the people free of charge, the propaganda had been very successful. The few times guards had come to their temple, they had either not found anything to do with dark magic due to some quick thinking on their priests’ part, or because an angry mob repelled them.

Muardalt sighed. The only downside of the plan had been the immense use of recourses. It had become hard to gather the best ingredients. Therefore, he had set up a third team to scour the border of Xadia for the ingredients they needed. He hadn’t told Viren about this yet. It was a small team of five of his best warriors. They had always delivered, and it was his job as head priest to process the quarry. He watched the blood seep off the kitchen sink where he had been separating the bones from the meat and organs. Before he continued his work, he sharpened his knife. _It’s messy work. I just hope that the new initiates will be understanding of the necessity of it._ Whistling a soft tune, he got back to work.


	9. Trouble in Duren

It was dark in the room, the occasional flashes of lightning illuminating the royal bedchamber. Ezran hugged bait tightly. He was still afraid of lightning, but he could push the fears away as he thought of all the other things that had transpired. It had been a long day. He had some correspondence with queen Aanya, and they had finalized their plan on how to deal with king Aureum Umbra. Letters had been sent to that end. He hoped their plan would have the desired effect. But all the thinking and worrying had taken its toll on the child-king, and soon he was fast asleep. His dreams were filled with the roaring of dragons...

The great hall rumbled at the sound of one dragon roared at another. Zym was frightened. He hid under his mother’s wing and kept a watchful eye on the two dragons. Queen Zubeia looked at the two with worry.

“Your antics have almost killed the captain, Zeron!” King Aureum Umbra roared. “I expected you to be more responsible.” 

Zeron remained stoic. He merely watched the great white dragon as the king roared at him. 

“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”

The black dragon straightened itself. “Only that I did as you asked, using my own limited methods.”

Queen Zubeia had already guessed what was being discussed and was seething with rage, causing Zym to cower underneath her. “Really!? You send this dragon to spy on her king Aureum Umbra? And you,” she said sternly as she turned to the black dragon. “What magic did you use to cause her those sleepless nights? How cruel can you be!?”

Despite the onslaught, Zeron remained unmoved. “I was asked to discover their allegiance. I was not asked to go about it nicely.”

The queen’s eyes widened. “‘Their’? Who else did you use your magic on!?” 

“Prince Callum of Katolis.”

The queen turned an angry gaze to the king, but he ignored it completely as he addressed Zeron once again. “So I can assume that it was you who so grievously wounded our captain?”

Zeron nodded. “Though, if I may, that wound is only an illusion, as was the dream. It will be gone in a couple of days.”

The king and queen looked at each other. Then King Aureum Umbra sighed heavily. 

“Very well. At least tell me you were successful in your endeavours.” 

The black dragon moved into a more comfortable pose as he reported his findings. “The human prince’s pretty clean. There is no darkness in his heart. He earnestly sought to banish dark magic from his realm. He is also a kind person, and tried his best to avoid conflict in his capital. He does have a burning passion to be with the elf. That’s his sole motivation. I’d say that when given the choice, he’d put her before the needs of his kingdom, but that doesn’t make him a bad person. Only a bad ruler.”

The king grumbled. “That’s good for Xadia... And what of Rayla?”

Zeron was silent for a while. “She is more complicated. In her dreams, I offered her options, where she had to choose who to save, or see who she would miss most. Instead, she created her own choices and attacked me in her dreams.”

The king actually snickered. “So she used your own magic against you…” Then, a thought struck him. “You think she is a moonshadow mage as well?”

Zeron shook his head. “Her feat didn’t take any magic, though it probably helped that she was a moonshadow elf to begin with. No, what she did was done through sheer raw willpower. She is very special, if only for that. Where her heart truly lies, with Xadia or the prince, that I do not know, not yet. I only know that she would give her life to protect that which she cares for.”

The king seemed to think this over as silence reigned for a while. “I understand. So in the end, we are still unsure about the captain.”

“Perhaps. But if I may, her sole task is protecting the queen and Zym, of which she has already proven that she would gladly give her life for. Compared to the loyalty of the last dragonguard, I’d say you couldn’t wish for a better captain.”

The king nodded. “Very well then. I suppose I have to be satisfied with this answer.”

“And what about the prince?” Queen Zubeia asked. “You know he requested to be trained in magic.” 

The king looked at her, then back at Zeron. “Well? What do you think, Black One?”

“Observing him, I discovered he was a brilliant young man. I think he could become a very powerful mage if given the opportunity. However, whether that’s good for Xadia remains to be seen.”

“I understand. So we will deny this request then.” The king said with finality.

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Zeron countered. “If he is truly as pure hearted as I think he is, he could be a boon for both humanity and all of Xadia. No, instead of denying him tutelage, I say we properly test him. Pit him against his own kind to see if he has what it takes to use his powers for good.”

Queen Zubeia was silent. She had mixed emotions about this discussion. She had found the methods used by the king and the black dragon very cruel, but she also remembered the time she sent a group of assassins to Katolis. She hung her head in shame. _Oh, how far we’ve fallen…_

The king spoke up. “Alright. I suppose you have something in mind?”

The black dragon grinned. “I do. As it happens, there’s trouble in Duren…” 

-/-/-/-

It was quiet in the room. No light was coming from the other side of the door, or through the keyhole Keryn was currently peeping. “I can’t see anything…” He whispered. 

“And I can’t hear anything,” said Pincaelo, who had her ear pressed against the door. 

“This is unbecoming of a dragonguard… spying on their captain…” Bosor leaned against the wall and eyed the pair at the door with disdain. Yet he didn’t move away. 

“What do you think they’re doing?” asked Pincaelo. Keryn spoke as he looked up to the rest of the group. 

“Well, if I were alone with my lover…” his wicked grin told them the rest. 

Bosor actually shuddered at the thought. “An elf and a human… it’s not decent…” 

“Ow, grow up and get your head out of the earth!” Pincaelo said loudly. “Give them a break! There is nothing wrong with what they are or aren’t doing!” Keryn quickly shushed her, but it was already too late.

“What is going on here!?” The angry voice of Catlyn carried from down the hall, as she marched up the passage to their captains room. She gasped as she saw the group before them. “You dare spy on our captain!?” 

“Well, I….” “I tried to stop them!” “I mean, is it really ‘spying’?” 

Catlyn glared at the group. “Get back to your posts! All of you! Leave our poor captain be! Whatever diplomatic talks are going on in there are none of your concern!”

The group all had to good grace to blush as they slowly shuffled down the passage, back to the hall. Catlyn watched them go and grinned. As soon as they were out of sight, she bent down to peep down the keyhole. Unfortunately for her, it was just at that time the door opened. 

“Autch!” Catlyn fell backward after the doorknob had rammed in her eye socket. A surprised Rayla stood in the doorway, Callum coming out after her. 

“Well, seems to me that you’re not much better than your compatriots.” Rayla said as she looked at the now blushing dragonguard. Catlyn was grinning however, and didn't seem apologetic in the least.

“Sorry Rayla, I just couldn't resist.” she said sheepishly. 

Rayla looked at her sternly, but a smile cracked in her face. “Ah, well. I couldn’t expect any different from a moonshadow elf, now can I?”

Catlyn got up still grinning and looked at the pair. Rayla still wore her linen shirt, but was wearing her sleeveless vest, which meant she was probably carrying her swords again. Callum was still wearing the same clothes as always, though why he was wearing a shawl indoors in summer was anyone’s guess. The both of them looked like they had only just woken up, with Rayla’s hair being a bit wild and Callum’s being an absolute mess. An idea struck Catlyn and she smiled wickedly.

“So, you’ve slept together then?”

“No, we haven’t.” Rayla said tersely, just as Callum replied, “Yes, of course.”

Rayla gave Callum an incredulous look. Callum just stared back at her. “What?” It took a moment for him to realize what was implied. “Oh. Oh! Nononono! We would never! No, I didn’t.. I mean, we didn’t sleep together. Nope, not at all!”

Catlyn just watched the two, arms crossed, with a broad smile on her face. “Aw, you two are just adorable.” She laughed as she walked away, while the captain of the dragonguard and the prince of Katolis, both teenagers, were both left behind, both blushing furiously and unable to look at each other.

“That… was awkward.” Callum said at last.

“Horrible.” Rayla added.

“Right.”

Rayla took a deep breath. “Well, come on, lets get some breakfast.” 

The both of them spend the morning catching up. Rayla talked about all her duties and responsibilities as captain and her own thoughts about it, as Callum talked about the discoveries he’d made while trashing Viren’s room, and the festival the city sprung up for him before he left. 

“Really, they threw a festival for you? Just for you?” Rayla’s eyes were big.

Callum looked back uncertain. “Well… it _was_ my birthday. They tend to do that kind of stuff if you’re a prince.” he said with a small voice. 

Rayla just stared. She had been to a couple of festivals in her life. There were two in Silvergrove each year, but they were small as their village counted only about a hundred elves at most. She sighed. She disliked city life, but she had always wanted to just visit a proper festival or some grand party.

“Rayla, is something wrong?” Ralya looked back to Callum. He looked back at her with worry in his eyes. 

“Hmm, no, I was just thinking…” She said as she looked at her plate.

“Well, a coin for your thoughts?” Callum tried to quickly grab a coin from the inside of his vest, but this smooth gesture was ruined as the coin flew out of his hand, bounced off the table and rolled down the hall. 

Callum looked chagerinned at the coin in the distance, but Rayla laughed. “Ah, Callum, you always find a way to cheer me up.” He smiled at that.

“But really, what were you thinking about?” 

Rayla’s smile dropped a little. She didn’t seem sad, just put out. “I was just thinking how I’ve never been to a real party before in my life.” 

“Really? Not one?”

Rayla shook her head. “I mean, we did have festivals in Silvergrove, but our village was rather strict and everything was focussed on training and fighting. And don’t get me wrong, I enjoy that too! But just relaxing and taking part in festivities, that never really happened.” She sighed wistfully as Callum was processing this new information. 

“Alright alright, but, what about your birthday? Birthdays must be special for an elf, right?” 

She gave Callum an annoyed look. “You’d think so… Well, you’re in for a rude awakening. My parents did throw some small parties when I was little, but as soon as I went to live with Runaan and Ethari, that stopped.” She pushed away her plate, no longer hungry. Callum listened with rapt attention. The more he came to know Rayla, the more there was to learn about her, it seemed. 

“Runaan was strict. I loved him like a father, but he could be harsh... “ Suddenly her eyes focused on Callum as she swallowed.. “Did… did you find anything of him when you….?” 

Callums eyes widened a bit as he processed her question. “Oh, I… no, I mean… we did find some secret dungeon, but it was empty and abandoned.” He hesitated, and Rayla still looked at him expectantly. He wanted to be honest, he just hoped it wouldn’t hurt her. “Rayla, we did find some elven bones. They looked really old though… I don’t think they were of him.” 

Callum watched with worry as Rayla seemed to waver for the tiniest moment, her eyes widening and her face draining of colour.. But then her strength returned. She balled her hands into fists. “What did you do with them?” 

“We burned them.” Callum blurted out, hoping that his would be the right answer. 

She paused a moment, then nodded. “That’s probably for the best.” she said.

It was silent for a while, each contemplating their own thoughts. 

“So, when is your birthday?” Callum asked at last, trying to get back on topic.

“Oh! Uhm…” She tapped her finger to her chin. “Well, it’s this month, and my birthday is when the moon is almost full, so… I’d say a couple more days or so?” When she saw Callum’s questioning look, she added “I’ll have to check the calendar.” 

“So…. you don’t know what day it is?”

Rayla looked at him oddly. “I… know we’re nearing the end of Sona, the month of summer.” 

“Right, for me, it’s the 26th of july.”

“Oh! We have different dating systems?” 

Callum shrugged. “I guess so… In the human kingdoms, all our days and months are named after old rulers and gods. What about Xadia?”

Rayla thought for a moment. “Gods mostly, though we don’t really keep track of time the way humans do. The only reason I have a calendar is because of my position as captain.” She made a face as she remembered the letters she had to write and notes she had to keep. It wasn’t much, but she hated writing. “Oh, that reminds me! Can I see your seal?”

“Sure.” Callum produced the paper, and Rayla looked it over.

“Can I copy this Callum? I might actually needed if others come seeking audience. I was actually the one who had to check this, but, you know, skewered.” She said jokingly as she gestured to her stomach. Callum found it hard to laugh about that. 

“Alright. By the way, if your birthday is coming up, do you want anything?” Callum asked eagerly. _Her birthday! That’d be a good time to give her a present!_

Rayla seemed to think it over. “I mean, yeah, there were things I wanted, but they are all gone now. Each year I would get a letter from my parents, and Runaan would make my favorite dessert.” She looked at Callum sadly, giving a weak smile. “So… I don’t know how I’m going to spend my birthday this year.” 

Callum looked at that sad smile only for a second before he moved over next to her and gave her an intense hug. Rayla was surprised but immediately felt warmth spread to her being. She suppressed a sob. _I’ve cried enough, I’m not going to cry again._

Callum broke the hug, but still held onto her as he looked at her face. “I’ll find something for you.” Callum said with confidence. He wiped away a tiny tear from her face she didn’t know was there.

“Thanks.” She said with a tiny voice. “I’m sorry that I missed yours. Was there something you wanted?” 

“Hmmm… not really, I guess.” Seeing her disappointment, he added. “I mean, I like to draw, so maybe you could take me somewhere nice, so I can sketch something. Or maybe even paint something, that’d be nice.” He had actually tried painting a few times in the past, and found he quite liked it. It wasn’t something he could do on the fly however, so he preferred sketching. 

Rayla nodded. She wanted to surprise him with something special. She still got butterflies thinking about when he gave her his sketchbook. That gesture meant a lot to her, and she wanted to return the sentiment. 

“Captain! Prince Callum!”

Both turned around as Bosor approached. “You have both been summoned by the king and queen.” 

-/-/-/-

Both Callum and Rayla walked into the great hall and bowed before the dragons. Callum frowned as he saw the black dragon seated beside the king. _Who is that dragon?_ he wondered. Rayla gave the dragon a sidelong glance. She had seen it before at the dragonmoot, and figured it was some kind of advisor to the king. It made her feel uneasy however, though she didn’t know why. She tried to focus on the king. 

“My king, my queen,” she said as she smiled at queen Zubeia. “You send for us?”

“We have, young ones.” The queen addressed them informally. “We have news that concerns both of you.” She turned to Callum. “First, about your mission, and your request to be trained by the mages of Xadia…”

Callum swallowed. He really hoped that he could stay in Xadia, though, if he was honest, he was already working on a plan B to stay near the Storm Spire as an ambassador for Katolis. In his heart he just wanted to be close to Rayla.

The king spoke. “We have found that you have brought sufficient evidence to convince us of your efforts to destroy the presence of dark magic in Katolis.”

The black dragon spoke up as well. “You could have hid away the books and ingredients you found, or sold them for gold to neighbouring kingdoms. Instead, you were adamant in their destruction and burned them on a pyre. You even trashed the dark mage’s room to spite him. I can appreciate such devotion to your mission.” The black dragon said with a smile. 

Callum was puzzled. He hadn’t told them that part. Again he looked the black dragon in the eyes and got a sense of familiarity which made him feel uneasy. 

“T-thank you.” Callum replied. “So… does that mean…?” 

“Not yet, prince Callum.” The queen said gently. 

The king gestured with a claw to the dragon. “Zeron has convinced me of your good intentions, but I must know if you have the good of all in your heart, or just that of humanity.” 

“I- well of course I do!” Callum blurted out. “I mean, look how well I get along with elves!” 

“I think your romance with the captain is a little biased, don’t you think?” The queen said with a smile. Callum stammered something incoherent and looked at his shoes, blushing furiously. Rayla blushed faintly, but she had to smile as well. The queen was not mocking them, and she sensed her approval. 

“In any case,” the king continued “as it stands, we do have a mission for you. We’ve had reports that there is trouble in Duren. Elves and magical creatures are disappearing at Duren’s border, and a cult is trying to introduce dark magic en masse in the capital. I want you to go to Calatheas and root out this cult. If you do this, we will see this as sufficient proof that you indeed want to better both humanity and the world at large.”

Callum gulped. _Thats a big mission. Like, a huge mission! And he wasn’t that familiar with Calatheas._

“To check your progress and to help you with any danger you might encounter, we will send one of the dragonguard with you.” 

Rayla grimaced. She figured something like this might happen. _Please don’t be Bosor,_ she thought. _Or Kiyara._ Though they were the most capable fighters she had, she didn’t think they would try very hard at keeping Callum alive.

Callum sighed. He couldn’t very well expect them to send Rayla with him, even if he wanted to. _She was the captain after all..._

All of a sudden, the queen turned to Rayla. “Rayla of Xadia, we command you to go with the prince of Katolis. Check his progress, and bring back an honest report of his actions so that we may judge of he is worthy of our knowledge of arcanum.” 

Both Rayla and Callum were speechless. Neither of them expected this. The king noticed and felt the need to clarify. “Don't misunderstand us, captain Rayla, this is as much a test of his good intentions as it is of your loyalty and character. Should you fail, we will know.” The king leaned closer, bringing his giant head eye to eye with Rayla. “You should know I hold you in high regard, Rayla of Xadia. Please don't fail.” 

“You may take a day to gather your strength and collect supplies, but we urge you to make haste.” The queen added. Callum nodded. He figured that if they would travel light, he could make proper use of his mage wings. 

Rayla straightened up and bowed. Callum stammered a ‘thank you’ and made a clumsy bow as well. 

“That will be all.” The king said, settling in a more comfy pose. 

“Goodluck,” the queen said softly, looking at them with bright eyes. “May the light of the moon and sun guide you.” Rayla smiled at the dragon, and gave another bow before leaving, Callum in tow. 

King Aureum Umbra watched the pair as they left. Without taking his eyes off them, he addressed Zeron. “Can you check their progress, to make sure that we are not being deceived?” 

The black dragon smiled. “Consider it done.” 

Callum and Rayla went to the plateau in front of the entrance. The sun was rising in the sky. Rayla took a deep breath. “It’s good to be back on my feet.” She looked fondly at him, and was smiling. Callum felt the way she smiled at him made his insides tingle.

“So, we’ve been offered a day.” He said to her.

Rayla looked back to the sky, ever stretching outwards before them. “A day before jumping back into the fray…” she said sadly. 

“Yeah… So…. how do you want to spend it?”

Rayla looked back at her boyfriend. The smile she gave him sent shivers down his spine.

-/-/-/-

The mountain loomed in front of them ominously. “Here it is. Charming little place.” Aaravos said. The creature looked at his companions. “Are you ready?”

Claudia gripped the sunstone-staff tightly. “Oh, I’m ready alright!”

Viren looked less sure. But he didn’t protest and merely pointed to the mountain with his own staff. “And I suppose we must climb this all the way to the top?” 

Aaravos laughed. “Oh no, where would be the fun in that?” His eyes started glowing, and a hole in the mountain opened up, revealing a large cavern. Several human skeletons could be seen near the entrance. It couldn’t look any more uninviting.

“An illusion! Clever!” Claudia said excitedly. She was already brainstorming on the possibilities of magic this creature had. _If it hides its lair with illusions, then maybe some of its feathers can be used to cast illusions as well!_

Viren frowned as he looked at the skeletons. They were wearing various different types of clothing and armor. As he investigated them, he noted two things. One, they were all very old, and two, they all died by deep puncture wounds, judging from the holes in the armor and the broken bones. “Be careful claudia. Whatever this creature is, it’s dangerous.” 

“Aw, and what about your little bug pall?” Aaravos said with a mocking tone. 

“I’m not worried about you. You would probably outlive us by a thousand years.” Viren replied. Aaravos just laughed. 

Claudia beckoned the two. “Come on! We have to get ingredients for our little cult.” Without hesitation, she stepped into the darkness. 

Aaravos folded its wings and skittered after her. Viren was last. Claudia’s enthusiasm was beginning to disturb him. It was alright when Soren was with her. Even though he was a dumb oaf, he was the best swordfighter of the entire royal guard. But now, all she had was a creature created by a thousand year old elf with dubious allegiances, and an old man with no special powers. Viren looked down at his staff. It still had energy, but Claudia’s shows for the people of Neolandia had taken its toll. It needed recharging soon. He hesitated as he looked at the dark entrance. He hadn’t cast any spells since he was resurrected. He felt a hesitance to use dark magic again and he had a faint idea why that was. _Still, humanity is under threat from Xadia,_ he thought. Steeling himself, he pressed on into the darkness, following the others close behind. 

-/-/-/-

Rayla and Callum had strolled around the Storm Spire for a time, sometimes chatting, sometimes just enjoying each others presence. They both relished the feeling of not really having to go anywhere, and Rayla had made it clear that they should just enjoy this day, both because she was still recovering and because they felt they had earned it. Callum hadn’t objected. 

When they entered the hall, they felt the eyes of various dragonguard and Callum’s human escorts on them. Callum let go of Rayla’s hand to talk to his guards and dismiss them. They could rest for a bit and return at their own pace, for which they were grateful. Rayla watched the exchange and kept an eye on the various dragonguards as well. Kiyara was stealing glances at the humans while working on her blade, while Pincealo was sleeping with her head on the table. She was amused by the contrast between the two dragonguards, one being completely at ease with the situation, while the other was always tense. Rayla wondered what Kiyara’s story was. There was something about the young elf that always made her seem tense, and on guard. 

She was shaken out of her thoughts when Callum returned to her. “Okay! So, the guards will get back on their own. That leaves us here in the Storm Spire with the rest of the afternoon for ourselves!” He smiled the same goofy smile as always, and Rayla felt butterflies in her stomach as he looked at her. “So, what do we do now?” 

Rayla didn’t answer, but took his hand and let him through the hall and down the passageway, all the way to her room, ignoring the scrutiny of everyone watching in the hall. Rayla pushed Callum inside and locked the door behind him.

“Woa… what are you planning?” Callum crossed his arms and looked at his girlfriend. He found it difficult to decipher her look. Her eyes were focussed on him. She looked shy, alluring and... _hungry?_ He was surprised as the word popped into his head. 

Rayla bit her lip as she looked at Callum. He seemed out of place, like he didn’t know what to do with himself in her room. He had crossed his arms and was looking at her with this goofy smile. Despite all that, he had a boyish manner about him, something that was drawing her to him, ever closer. 

Rayla crossed the gap between them and wrapped her arms around him. She felt ridiculous. _I’m bigger and stronger than him, why do I feel so vulnerable!?_ She barely dared to look at him, very conscious that this was the first time they were together like this since the midnight desert. She looked up when she felt his hands roaming over her back, stroking her softly. She remembered his question now. “You know, sometimes, a girl wants some attention.”

Callum snickered. “Oh really?”

She smiled and looked at him. Callum looked back into those deep violet eyes and felt his heart flutter. “Kiss me my prince.” she said in the sweetest tone he had ever heard. He gladly obliged. 

While their first kiss had been an awkward occurrence on Rayla’s part, and the second an accidental spontaneous outburst from Callum, they had overcome their shyness and had learned to kiss each other with passion. Callum and Rayla both remembered the time after the battle, as they rested in each others arms and kissed and nuzzled each other, each giving the other comfort after the day’s terrifying moments. 

But now was different. Now they had chosen their own time to be together, to enjoy each other, and as they both sat down on the edge of the bed, they carefully explored their limits.

It was Rayla who first broke away after their long kiss. “Shall I tell you a secret?,” she said, a bit short on breath, “I’ve never kissed a man before you.” Callum just stared at her. “Well...I… haven’t either… a woman I mean!” 

She giggled at his reaction. “I think that we’re getting pretty good at this.” she said as she caressed his face. It felt smooth. She was glad he still hadn’t grown one of those horrible human beards. Callum let her. He enjoyed her touch and put his hand on hers. He tilted his head slightly as he mulled something over. Rayla rolled her eyes.

“I know that look. You’re thinking about something stupid.” 

“Not stupid!” Callum said defensively. “Just thinking about how little I know about elves. Is this” he gestured between the two of them, “how it usually goes with elves, or do you have some courting custom or something?”

Rayla blushed, though it was barely visible in the soft candlelight. “Well, we do, though I only know the typical customs of the moonshadow elves.” She moved from her bed and walked over to the corner of her room where her swords were resting. She grabbed one, flicked it open, and gave it a few experimental swings. Callum watched as she went through the movements with grace. “Our weapons have special meanings to us moonshadow elves. They can be given as a gift, or a promise. They can have names. They can bind people. But by default, each elf has a weapon, and they will always carry it.” She stowed her weapon, and looked back to her boyfriend. “But when a man or woman wants to show they’re ‘available’, they will tie an empty loop to their belt, like some kind of sheath. This signifies they are available for a bond. If a person is interested, they can craft a small weapon and engrave their name in it.” She grinned. “The next part is kinda funny. The person has to use either stealth or speed to put their weapon in the sheath. If they succeed, then the other person has to at least take the giver on a date, or give them a kiss, even if they don’t want to.” 

Callum’s eyes widened at that. “Wait, what? How is that fair?” 

Rayla shrugged. “I mean, it’s not as if you’d walk around with a sheath all the time. Usually just at festivals or parties. And to be honest? I think it’s all pre-arranged. At least it was with my parents. My father would tell my mother beforehand that he would wear a sheath, so that she could attempt to fill it with her handcrafted dagger.” She laughed as she thought back to that particular exchange. “Usually that goes smoothly. However, another elf had set his eyes on my da, and happened to have brought his own dagger. So my da, my ma and this other would-be suitor chased each other all across the festival and the neighbouring forest.” Rayla had burst out laughing at that last part. 

Callum laughed, though he was a bit hesitant. “Do you mind if I do it the human way? Cause otherwise, I don’t stand a chance.” 

Rayla jumped onto the bed and sat crossed legged in front of him. “Do tell me of your human ways, human.” 

“Oh, uhm, what do you want to know?”

Rayla tilted her head. “Well, what do you do when you like someone?” 

Callum grinned and looked at her with a sly expression. “Well, as I recall, first you annoy them, you bugger them with lots of questions, then you take a trip to the edge of the earth and eventually you save their life!”

“Haha. But really, how do humans do things?” 

Callum let himself fall on his back on the bed. “Well, I dunno. I mean, we try to let the other one know were interested, but there’s no set way of doing anything. In the higher courts, we do have balls that have certain customs. Like, if you dance a mazurka twice with the same person? You’re basically proposing!”

Rayla looked at him with wonder. “Oh! What’s a mazurka? And what is proposing?”

Callum groaned inwardly. Apparently, there was a large culture gap between them. _I should be glad we’re at least speaking the same language!_ “Right, so the mazurka is just a slow, stupid ball dance. And proposing means that you propose to marry that person, to be with them for the rest of your life.” He explained. 

Rayla whisteled. “Sounds like a big deal. The dancing part sounds fun.” 

Callum felt uncomfortable as she said that. “It’s really not! Let me tell you about all the horrible dancing lessons I had to take!” 

In the end, they spend the rest of the day really getting to know each other. They talked at length about their different upbringings. Rayla tried to get him to enjoy a specialized version of a game of tag, typical to moonshadow elf culture, and Callum tried to teach her to sketch in his sketchbook (which Rayla had gladly returned to him, though on the condition that he made more sketches). Teaching Rayla to sketch actually went quite well, up unto the point where Callum showed her some paints he had brought with him (“In case I get to stay here for a while,'' he confessed). This immediately led Rayla to the idea of giving Callum his own very special face markings, to which Callum feverently objected, which led to an altogether different kind of game of tag. It ended with them rolling on the ground, laughing, paint plastered everywhere. They stayed there in perfect bliss, forgetting for the moment that come tomorrow, they had to face danger yet again. 

-/-/-/-

The next morning the two of them said goodbye to all in the Storm Spire. The dragonguard was now supported by some smaller dragons from the east, so Rayla was fairly confident that they could keep the Storm Spire safe while she was out on their mission. A dragon offered to see them to the checkpoint, greatly speeding up their journey. They reached the checkpoint within a day and rested there. To both of their surprise, there was little tension between the elves and humans there, but Callum figured his aunt might have something to do with it. They didn’t stay long however, and after exchanging some pleasantries Callum used his mage wing spell to fly both of them straight to Calatheas, the capital of Duren.

Calatheas was a blooming city unlike any other both Rayla and Callum had ever seen. Houses were given ample space between them, so that lush gardens and green fields could flourish. Even as the city got denser as they flew closer to the palace, Rayla had to note that for a human city, it looked very pretty. The roofs were adorned with flowers and plants would creep up the walls of the various houses. The palace itself was a marvelous structure. It didn’t have walls and a moat like the old castle in Katolis. Instead, it was elevated on a platform, with four large towers on the corner and a five story tall pyramid like structure in the centre, with a large dome on top. It was truly a marvel to behold. 

Callum landed them in front of the palace. The guards were startled, and Callum half expected to get the same welcome as he had in Katolis, but before anyone could react to their coming, Queen Aanya herself was already storming out of the gates of her Palace. 

“Rayla! Callum!” she shouted across the distance. 

Callum bowed, with Rayla following suit. “Queen Aanya! Did you know we were coming?” Callum said, surprised to see her so quickly. 

Queen Aanya smiled. “We do keep an eye on the skies. There be dragons out there, remember? But when I heard it appeared to be two persons flying around, I figured it must be the famous mage from Katolis and the warrior elf from Xadia.” Her face turned serious. “You couldn’t have come at a better time for me. We need your help. Calatheas is in uproar.”

They followed queen Aanya back into the palace. They marveled at the interior. Great columns rose up to the ceiling, and statues adorned small alcoves. Even the people inside the palace were all adorned to look like their best, all wearing expensive linen and silks adorned with golden jewelry. Callum noted one young woman walking by. He figured she was a little older than him. The reason he was ogling her was her dress; it was a bright purple silk dress. Two long broad strokes of purple silk rose up from her midsection and wound themselves around her bosom, leaving ample skin exposed to admire, but still kept enough hidden to wonder. The dress revealed that she was very well endowed. Suddenly he felt a slap to the back of his head. As he turned around, he saw Rayla glaring daggers at him. 

“Really Callum?” she said tersely.

Callum felt his cheeks redden and quickly mumbled an apology before hurrying after the queen. Rayla shook her head. She wasn’t sure what had just happened, or why she felt jealous when Callum had looked at the woman like that. She had never really felt jealous before, up until that moment. But as she glanced back, she had to admit that she doubted she would ever look as good as the woman did when wearing a dress like that. She shook the negative thoughts from her head, resigning herself that at least Callum did seem to accept her the way she was. She picked up the pace and joined the others just as they entered a large doorway.

The queen led them to a meeting hall. She quickly explained to them what had transpired these last few weeks. “It’s very strange! There has been a surge in dark magic users the same week I had it banned! It’s like they planned this beforehand!” 

Rayla and Callum looked at each other worriedly. 

“What can we do?” Callum asked.

Queen Aanya turned away from them and walked to a cabinet, only to return with a large map of the city and outskirts. “This here,” she said as she pointed to a large building on the map, “used to be a very old temple. It was abandoned, but now it is the home of a group calling themselves ‘the True Light.’” 

“How original…” Rayla muttered.

The queen ignored that remark. “I have sent people to investigate. They have told me that they use dark magic to heal people.”

Callum had a weird look on his face. “Heal people?”

Queen Aanya looked him in the eyes. “Yes. So it may be that this is well intended. However, it puts our peace with Xadia in jeopardy, because they use a special kind of magic for the healing.”

“Dark magic.” Callum said.

The queen nodded. “The healing happens free of charge, so people come and go there all the time now for all kinds of illnesses. They were even able to heal some of our prisoners from Viren’s curse.”

“What's Viren’s curse?” Rayla asked curiously.

“Oh, he had cursed all his soldiers with some kind of sunfire elf rage.” Callum explained. “You know, burning lines across the skin, fiery eyes, scream a lot?” 

Rayla nodded she understood. “Alright, so we need to go in and stop this cult.” 

Queen Aanya took a deep breath. “Well…. No. If all they are doing is healing people, they aren’t doing anything nefarious as far as I can tell. I’ve already tried to have the building shut down once, but the people made it very clear that they preferred to have the healers stay.”

“Alright… so what do you want us to do?” Callum asked carefully.

“Investigate. If all they are doing is to heal people, then perhaps we have to renegotiate our deal with Xadia. I know the dragon king won’t like it, but I can’t ignore the wishes from my people either.”

“Nonono you can’t!” Rayla shouted! “We’re now at peace! And you want to break it because some lunatics start using dark magic, which is evil by the way, just to heal a couple of people!?”

“Why is dark magic evil then? I am not convinced. Last time I heard it being used in Duren, it was used to save a hundred thousand men, women and children from starvation.” The queen had put her hands on the table and had entered a staring contest with the elf. The tension in the room was palpable. Callum was disturbed by what he heard. He could understand the queen’s reasoning, but he also could see what knowledge she lacked. 

“Queen Aanya, I understand your concern. We will just investigate for now.” Callum held up his hands to placate the two women. “But you should know that to use dark magic, you have to sacrifice something. For feeding your people, they had to kill a magma titan. For healing these people, I think they are killing something else.” 

The queen cast her eyes downwards. “I had forgotten that.” 

Callum put a hand on her shoulder. “My dad always called dark magic a shortcut. Even if it works in the short term, there’s always a price to pay in the long run.”

The queen sat down. Callum was impressed. Even in her tired and worried state, she still looked more like a regal ruler than a ten-year old girl. At last, she looked at him. 

“Thank you for your wisdom prince Callum.” 

Callum simply nodded. “Don’t mention it. We will look into it now, and when we find something, we’ll get back to you.” He and Rayla bowed, and turned to leave. As Rayla walked outside the door, Callum hesitated. 

“What is it?” Rayla asked.

Callum blushed. “Uhm, why don’t you go on ahead? I need to ask something. Be right back!” Before Rayla could reply, the door was shut in her face. 

“What's with him!?” She led out a frustrated sigh. _Weird humans…_

Queen Aanya looked surprised as Callum had shut the door behind him. “Was there something else you needed?”

Callum fidgeted with his thumbs. “Well, I know we don’t know each other so well, but since Rayla and I will be staying here for a while, I have a favor to ask of you.”

The queen listened as Callum told her his plan. When he was finished, she was grinning. “Oh, I think that can be arranged.”

-/-/-/-

Callum and Rayla explored the marketplace. It was a hot day, but the both of them figured they had a need to stay low profile, so they immediately looked around for a shop selling clothes and cloaks. Before they got there however, they were confronted with the scars of the war. In this case, the confrontation took the form of a lump of mud hitting Rayla in the side of the face. 

“Ugh!” Rayla exclaimed as she wiped away the sludge. She whipped around to see who threw it, her hands already going for her swords. She saw a crowd of angry onlookers and cursed herself that she hadn’t taken the trouble to disguise herself sooner. One woman clad in simple brown robes stood at the forefront. She looked to be mid-twenties, was wearing a dark red headscarf and was still holding out a muddy hand. 

“Get lost elf! We don’t want your kind here!” The rest of the onlookers seemed to agree, and shouted obscenities at her. 

Callum took her hand. “C’mon, let's get out of here.” he whispered urgently. But Rayla would not be dissuaded by this display of hostility. She held her hands to her sides, a clear sign that she wasn’t armed. She approached the woman with confidence, though Rayla found it hard to keep from snarling at her. 

“Yeah? What have I ever done to you woman?” She half-shouted, trying both not to be too aggressive, but also to be heard by the jeering crowd.

The woman was taken aback, clearly not expecting the elf to talk back to her. “Your kind took my brother!” She screamed back. 

Rayla breathed in sharply. Her instincts told her to fight or flee. Instead, she tried to once again use her least favorite tactic; diplomacy. “I understand how you feel, but I have lost people I care about as well. Both of my parents were killed by humans, and later on my adopted da was killed as well!” 

Most of the crowd didn’t hear her response and continued yelling obscenities. The woman heard her. Rayla could see her struggling with her emotions. “I don’t care!” she yelled. “Your kind is evil!”

Rayla sighed. She didn’t want this, but she couldn’t avoid confrontations like this if they were going to move forward. She took the princes along on the journey because she believed them delivering the egg would bring peace. Now she believed that if she could just reason with these people instead of fighting or running, there could be peace as well. 

“Don’t you understand? We also thought that of you! That you were monsters, that you were… not worth saving.” Rayla thought of her words back when she first met the princes. _Oh how I’ve changed since then._ She grabbed Callum’s hand as she continued the speech. People were still yelling obscenities, but more people around the woman were listening to her earnestly. 

“I’ve learned differently, that we are not enemies. I know now how amazing and beautiful humans can be, and I hope,” she said as she looked at Callum “that this would count for us as well, if you would give us a chance.” She tried to smile at the woman, who was still frowning back. Rayla stepped forward, feeling herself very vulnerable without a blade to protect her against the hostility. “I know your pain, but I haven’t killed your brother.” 

The woman's eyes narrowed. “How can you be so sure? Your kind are killers! I’ve heard so myself! I bet you don't remember half the people you’ve killed!” The crowd mumbled approvingly at that statement. 

Rayla closed her eyes and forced herself back to a state of calmness. She was getting agitated, and she knew it. “I know for a fact that I’ve never killed your brother, because I’ve only killed once in my life. And unless your brother was the high mage of Katolis, I doubt I have ever done anything to you or your kin.” 

The woman pressed her lips together, the fury disappearing from her eyes. Rayla felt relief as the woman finally seemed to believe her, but then someone else picked up the shouting. “You hear that!? She’s a killer! She said so herself!” Others joined in. Callum squeezed her hand and nodded towards the shop they intended to go to. Just as they turned around to leave the angry crowd behind them, Rayla glanced at the woman. She thought she saw her mouthing the word ‘sorry’. She gave a slight smile before disappearing in the shop with Callum. Once inside, she pressed herself against him. She groaned in his shoulder. 

“I should have been more careful!” Rayla admonished herself for admitting that she killed Viren. 

Callum put his hands on her shoulder. “You couldn’t have known. The humans at the checkpoint were actually kind to you. We all hoped that people wouldn’t be stupid like this anymore. We all wanted to believe that.” 

Rayla didn’t say anything, but nodded, giving him a careful smile. 

They spend some time in there to catch their breath, and Rayla purchased some clothing to fit in with the crowd. She opted for a light-brown cloak that would cover her horns, a large linen sweater that would cover her outlandish clothing, and a pair of gloves for her hands. She didn’t appreciate the extra layer of clothing, but she had to admit she would stand out a lot less while wearing this. Callum didn’t really have a need to cover up anything, his face not being recognized by anyone so far, but he did buy a cloak for when it would get colder at nightfall. He was still walking around sleeveless, and figured he needed to come up with some sort of new design for a sweater so he wouldn’t constantly rip apart the sleeves if he cast his mage wing spell. 

It was late afternoon when they finally arrived at the temple. It was an old building. Unlike the other buildings nearby who were build using bricks, this one was built using stones of various sizes and held together by a greyish kind of mortar. A triangular roof of ancient timbers and old faded red roof tiles covered it. It was busy, with people walking in and out constantly. Callum and Rayla had decided that they would first explore the building, then start asking questions. As they moved inside, Callum marvelled at the positive atmosphere. Normally hospitals and the like were a lot more depressing with all the ill being treated. He looked around. The building was mostly one large open space with beds placed at regular intervals from each other. People would happily chat with one another as they waited for one of the white-robed figures to heal their illnesses. Callum became uneasy as he recognized dark magic being used to mend a broken arm. The ‘healer’ held one hand in a pouch, as the other lay atop the woman's broken arm. He incanted the spell and the arm mended itself. People applauded and gave each other a hug. 

“Well, that’s a right happy bunch right there.” Rayla noted with her usual sense of humor.

“Apparently… I wonder what kind of ingredients they’re using. They are very covert about that.” 

They walked around for a bit, observing the people. There were apparently only a few more permanent patients. Most of the sick and ill would be gone quickly, their ailments not that serious or life threatening. 

After having observed the room for an hour or so, they were approached by a rather rotund man. He was balding and had a beard, and wore the plain, white robes all of the other healers wore. “Greetings. I noticed you have been waiting here for quite a while. Can I be of service?” 

Rayla observed the man cautiously. She didn’t trust anyone in this room, apart from Callum that is. Callum stuck out his hand, which the man took and shook. 

“Hi! I’m Callum, and this is Rayla.” 

“Callum, and… Rayla? You have an unusual name miss.” The man replied. Rayla thought she heard suspicion in his voice, but she couldn’t be certain. 

“We heard that you heal people here using dark magic.” Callum blurted out.

The man narrowed his eyes. “We… prefer to call it the ‘light’, or just magic, if you will. There’s nothing dark about it.”

“Oh really? And what about all the poor creatures that have to suffer for your healing spells?” Rayla quipped.

This gave the man pause. He eyed them suspiciously. “I see you are well informed.” 

Rayla didn’t reply, but crossed her arms and kept her eyes on him. Callum thought she could have gone about this more subtle, but maybe this was the right way to get the information they needed. 

The man sighed. “It is true that we have to sacrifice some creatures to get the ingredients we need, but truth be told, the same happens for the meat we need to consume to survive. We try to restrain ourselves and use these powers only for good. Can you really blame us for that?” The man spread his arms in a placating gesture as he said that.

“The timing is rather suspicious.” Callum noted. “You appeared just as the queen banned dark magic.”

“It was rather inconvenient. I don’t understand the queen’s rejection of our light. It has saved our people in the past.” 

“Perhaps because if the dragon king learns about this, he will burn Duren to the ground!” Rayla said pointedly.

The man’s eyes narrowed. “We will not bend to his will because he holds a knife at our throats. We are free to make our own choices. And if we don’t harm others in the process, who can blame us.” 

Rayla and Callum looked at each other with uncertainty. Everything the man had said seemed reasonable so far. 

“I think we are done here for now.” Callum said finally. “Thank you for answering our questions.” 

The man gave a slight bow. “Honesty is the way forward. I truly believe that.” 

“One more thing.” Rayla said as the man turned to leave. “What kind of ingrediënts do you use for the healing spells?” 

The man paused before answering. “Mostly magical plants. Earth primal magic is the magic that heals in elf society, and the same holds true for dark magic.”

Rayla nodded. “But you do use animals occasionally? You just said so.” 

The man seemed annoyed at that. Rayla wondered if it was because he figured he had slipped up. “Only when there is great need. We are not a butcher’s shop.” 

Rayla eyed him intently, nodded, and walked out of the door. Callum smiled apologetically and walked after her. 

“What did you do that for?” Callum didn’t understand her sharp questioning of the man, even if the questions were relevant. 

“He’s lying.” Rayla said as they walked down the street. “About the ingrediënt part anyway. You said it yourself, they were very keen on keeping their use of ingredients hidden when performing those spells.”

Callum nodded, understanding her point. “So, what do we do now?”

“We check the border. Creatures went missing there, and elves as well. Maybe we can find something that would link those disappearances to this place.” 

Callum felt his stomach churning. He had the sickly feeling that this whole mission was about to get a lot messier than he had accounted for. 

Muardart looked at the retreating pair as he notified one of his robed members. “That’s them?” the man asked. 

“Yup.” Was Muardalts reply. “You know what to do.” The robed man nodded and quickly hurried away, taking others with him. Muardalt sighed. _Things were going so well.... Ah, I shouldn’t worry. If the queen of Duren can’t stop us, what do I have to fear of the prince of Katolis and an elf assassin?_ He remembered Viren’s warnings. Apparently, both of them had actively worked to keep the dragon prince out of Claudia’s hands, and Rayla had tried to kill Viren. _It’s fortunate she was unsuccessful,_ he mused. _It would have been a great loss for humanity._ He wondered if he should feel guilty about what he was about to do to the two teenagers, but he pushed the feeling away. _Humanity comes first. In time, everyone will see it that way._

-/-/-/-

The trio ventured deeper into the caves. Claudia used her sunstone staff to illuminate the cave with a soft, purple light. They were silent for most of the trip. Occasionally, they ran into some skeletons lying on the ground. Viren thought he heard some bats fly above them. It was Claudia who broke the silence first.

“So, what are we going to do with the feathers once we’ve killed the reigar?” she asked of Aaravos. 

“That depends on their magical properties, though if one of them is illusion, I’m sure it’ll come in handy. Each wing is said to have at least a hundred feathers. That’s good for a hundred powerful spells.”

“If this creature is so powerful, and it was living in Neolandia all this time, it’s a wonder it’s still alive.” Viren said with disbelief in his voice. He thought of all the trackers mages had sent out to find and kill magical creatures like this one.

“Well, it wasn’t for a lack of trying on the humans part.” Aaravos replied as he gestured to another corpse that was pinned against the wall, a piece of rock sticking out of its chest.

Claudia turned around. “Do you think it’s more powerful than you Aary?” 

The creature visibly winced at the nickname, but regained it’s composure quickly. “More powerful than me? No. More powerful than the creature I’m using as a body currently? Perhaps…” 

Viren made no comment, but urged them to move forward. 

Eventually, the cave widened into a vast cavern. Faint light could be seen from above. There was a large gap in the ceiling. Viren gasped as he saw stars in the sky above them. _Impossible, we entered the caves around midday!_

As they all looked up, none of them noticed the various objects on the ground until Claudia stepped on one of them with an audible crunch. She looked down. Beneath her feet was an old, withered feather, the size of her elbow. It was grey and dirty, having been discarded long ago. Claudia froze in her tracks. “Dad? You seeing this?”

Her father stood next to her and crouched down. “This is an old feather… but it’s huge!” 

Aaravos stood a ways behind them. “Yes, it is.” said it's disembodied voice. “Look ahead.” 

They all peered into the darkness. In the distance, they could see the faint outline of a pile of giant feathers, before it shifted and slid back in the darkness. Viren felt fear enter it’s heart. _That thing has to be immense!_

Claudia intoned a spell. “Illumináre!” The sunstone burned brightly and the darkness fled before it. Even so, Claudia noted that despite her illuminating spell, the visibility was much lower than it should be. That thought fled however when they saw the emperor reigar before them. It was gargantuan. A torso the size of a banther. Long legs with sharp claws were folded beneath it. Its wings were huge, like sails of a ship. A long neck extended from its body. Its head was roundish, with two black eyes staring at them. A long, sharp and pointy beak protrude from its face. 

“Gods above…” Viren muttered in disbelief. 

Claudia paled as well. “Don’t worry dad. We got this!” She gave her father a smile, but Viren saw right through her fake confidence. 

Even Aaravos seemed fearful. “Watch out, this being is ancient. Fight as you’ve never fought before!” 

The emperor reigar opened its beak and spread its wings, which were now glowing softly in different colors. A piercing screech echoed through the caves. With lightning speed it moved forward to kill the intruders to its lair. 

-/-/-/-

Rayla and Callum were camping near the border. The border area between Duren and Xadia was immense, but there were some logical spots to check for their search. Both of them had resigned themselves to a week of camping outdoors while they investigated the disappearances. So far, their search hadn’t turned up anything, but they were only just getting started so they were still optimistic. Or perhaps it was the fact that it was just the two of them sharing a passionate kiss while sitting close to the campfire that lightened the mood. In any case, they were content. 

“I could get used to this.” Callum said at last as they broke off yet another of their ‘sandwich-making’ sessions. 

Rayla giggled. “It’s nice. You are getting better at this you know.” She looked at him with a teasing smile. 

Callum looked offended. “You mean I was bad at the beginning!”

“Well, you were drooling a little…” 

Callum felt his blood rise to his cheeks. He was astonished that she would make such remarks, then he saw her eyes. _She is teasing me!_

“Well, mark my words,” he said in a mocking tone, “The next sketch I make of you will be with a trolls head!” 

Rayla burst out laughing. “I’d actually like to see that!” 

Callum grinned, and stood up. 

“Where are you going?” Rayla said, immediately missing his warmth beside her. 

Callum gestured as he picked up his sketchbook and sat down a bit away from her. “Why, I’m going to sketch you of course.”

“Oh really?” Rayla thought for a bit as Callum searched for an empty page. A wicked idea crossed her mind. “You know, I can pose for you if you want.” She said seductively, pressing her chest slightly forward as to emphasize certain body parts.

“Na, that's alright. I’ll manage.” Callum didn’t pick up on the hint. _He didn’t even look up!_ She puffed her cheeks in annoyance, but was not put off by his lack of response. Instead, she stood up and took off her cloak and her assassins vest. Now Callum looked up as the weapons attached to her vest clanged on the ground.

“What are you doing?” 

Rayla sat down, and was undoing her belt. “Oh don’t mind me, I’m just rather hot.” Inwardly, she sniggered at the double meaning behind that statement. Callum didn’t reply, but watched in awe as she pulled the vest from over her head and sat down opposite him, her wrappings the only thing covering her chest. “Besides,” she said as she laid down on her side, “If you want to sketch me, I want you to sketch me from my good side.” 

Inwardly, she was very proud of herself. It had bothered her somewhat that he had looked at someone else this morning, but she could understand his attraction. But she wanted him to look at her that way. And as she saw his eyes going over her body, she knew she had the desired effect on him. Technically, she was more dressed than when they were at the lake, but she knew the setting was different. It felt dangerous, exciting. 

Callum gulped and started sketching. He was almost afraid looking at her like that, even if she was offering to pose like that. He didn’t know what had gotten into her, for the moment completely forgetting what had transpired this morning. He just knew he wasn’t about to question his luck. 

Rayla watched him sketch her. She enjoyed watching his eyes. They would focus on the paper, then quickly, almost guiltily glance in her direction before returning to the page where he was sketching fervently. The next time he looked up however, he squinted, then looked alarmed.

“Rayla, watch out!” He jumped to his feet and started to draw a rune in the air. Rayla didn’t waste time and leapt for her weapons, but as she jumped something tackled her legs and she was flung to the ground. As she looked at her legs, she saw a rope with some heavy iron balls tied around them. _Bola’s!_ The name of the weapon rang through her head. _We’re under attack!_

Again she scrambled for her weapons, just as a lightning bolt tore through the sky. She didn’t look, but she heard a man scream in agony. She grabbed her sword and looked about to see where the attack was coming from, only to see a giant man stepping into the firelight before her. He was bare chested, bald, and wielded a giant club. He didn’t speak but raised his club to attack her. Dodging the strike was impossible with her legs tied together like that, so she tried to block his attack. The club struck her sword and very nearly shattered her collarbone. She yelped as her arm went down. She tried to raise it for the next strike but was too late as the club struck her head with thundering force. The last thing she heard was Callum screaming her name before she blacked out completely. 

-/-/-/-

Rayla slowly came to consciousness in a dark room, lit only by a few candles on a table. She groaned. Her head hurt like the boots of Garlath himself had crushed it. She gingerly raised her head and looked around for Callum. He was seated a little ways away. He was staring at her, eyes wide. He had a gag over his mouth. She tried to say his name, but found that she had been gagged as well. Her hands were tied behind her back, and her feet were bound as well. 

She looked around. The room was dark. It stank of sweat and... _blood!?_ Rayla felt terror gripping her as saw more and more of her surroundings. A table stood against the far wall, an array of knives and saws hanging above it. To the left, she saw various buckets with red stains on them. But what she saw to the right of the table was truly horrifying. Various corpses were hanging on chains from the ceiling. Most of them appeared to be of various creatures, whole or cut up, but she spotted two humanoid figures as well. Tears sprang in their eyes as she saw their faces. Their expression was one twisted in agony. The pointy ears betrayed their heritage. _They were killing elves!_

They heard a door opening. As they looked in the direction of the sound, they could see the man they had spoken to that afternoon descending down the stairs. “Ah, my dear guests. Welcome to my inner sanctum. Allow me to light up the room for you, so it’s purpose becomes more apparent.” He snapped his fingers, and as he did, two things happened. Various lanterns that were hanging from the wall sprung to life, lighting the room completely. When the man did so, his visage changed to something horrible. The fat balding bearded man now had flayed, grey skin, and pitch black eyes. “Ah, what a shame. The last of my appearance spell must have passed with that bit of magic. Oh well.” 

Several more men entered the room. Rayla recognized at least one of them as the giant who had clubbed her down. Callum reacted violently, trying to scream despite being gagged. She gathered he recognized several others as well. 

The group regarded the two prisoners with malice in their eyes. The fat man spoke again, demanding their attention. 

“I suppose I should at least introduce myself. I am Muardalt, a student of Viren. He’s told me all about you.” As he saw their shocked expressions, he added, “Oh yes, Viren is alive and well. He has set up shop far away from here. This little expedition of ours is our way to make sure dark magic remains alive and well, despite your best efforts.” 

Another man stepped forward. This one seemed older. Callum recognized his posture as that of a soldier. The man had a thick brown beard and was wearing a bandana. “Muardalt, are you going to tell them your entire plan, or can we just go ahead and kill them? I mean, really...” 

The others shifted around uncomfortably. The man now turned around. “Oh really, killing elves is fine, but killing one human is a problem!?” 

Muardalt put a restraining hand on the man’s shoulder. “No, they’re right to be uncomfortable. We practice dark magic for humanity's betterment. We shouldn’t sacrifice a single human for it if we can help it.” He thought for a moment. As he spoke the next words, Callum and Rayla could do nothing but look at each other in horror as they heard what awaited them.

“Kill the elf. Harvest her for ingrediënts. And please use her brain matter to place an amnesia spell on the prince. Make sure he forgets everything. “ 


	10. Of Battles and Birthdays

The mood in the great hall of the Storm Spire was tense. Bosor didn't know where to look. Looking at the dragon king and queen was right out. Last time he checked, their expressions ranged from shock, to fury and outrage. So he looked down at the message from the queen of Duren he had just read to them. The wording and phrasing of it though… No, not a good idea either. He didn't want to think about the sweet words and veiled threats that he had to read out loud to the dragon king. He wanted to just turn around and leave. It had been silent for a couple minutes now as the dragon king contemplated his answer.

A grunt sounded from the king, and both the queen and Bosor looked up at the unexpected sound. A small chortle followed in a wry laugh that made Bosor shake in his boots. He was a veteran warrior, but politics scared him. Then the king finally gave his reply with a sly gleam in his eyes.

"Clever girl..."

-/-/-/-

Tears sprang in Callum's eyes as he looked at Rayla, who looked back at him in horror! No! His mind screamed at him. This can't be how it ends! Terror had gripped him and he frantically scanned his surroundings, looking for a way out. There were six people with them in the cellar. A couple were talking with the fat man who was apparently called Muardalt and an apprentice of Viren _. Viren's alive!_ Callum was shocked by the news, but as he saw another man move towards Rayla, he forced himself to think of a way out.

_Okay, my hands are bound, so I can't draw any runes. I couldn't speak anyway. I could try to trip them, but what's the point of that!? One falls, and the other five will get me._ Callum's mind was trying to come up with some kind of solution, but he only drew blanks. His heart sank as Rayla was lifted from the ground, the giant man grabbing her by the arm. He saw her giving her captor a hateful look and tried to kick him, but with both feet tied together, it was a vain attempt. Panic truly hit as he watched her being dragged to the table with knives. _I need a spell to break my bonds! A spell, any spell!_ He thought and thought until out of the corner of his mind, an idea struck him.

He sprung up from his position, only to fall over again due to his lack of balance, his feet being bound as well. This drew the attention of several of his captors. "Whoa, easy there little guy!" They said placatingly, even if with a little disdain. Callum ignored them, having only the frantic struggles of Rayla in his mind. He got up again, more careful this time, leaning his back against the wall.

"HMMunmmun!" His voice was muffled through the gag. The captors looked at each other questioningly. "Uhm hfad, Uh ham hu heegh!"

"Should we remove the gag boss?" They looked at the former soldier, who in turn looked at Muardalt.

"Sure, his hands are bound, so he can't cast. Just be wary for tricks. Viren did warn us…" Then he saw the man who was holding Rayla hesitate, looking at Callum. "What are you waiting for? SIlence her!" The man shrugged and dragged Rayla further, trying to get the squirming elf on the table.

Callums heart pounded in his chest as he saw this happen while one of his captors removed the gag from his mouth. "Please wait! Wait… just… just let me say goodbye to the elf!" Again the captors looked at each other hesitantly. The presence of a human boy in this slaughterhouse was not something that any one of them liked, that much was clear.

Muardalt groaned. "I don't understand why you'd bother. You'll have forgotten about her entirely in a few minutes anyways, but sure, say your goodbye's."

Callum gulped and carefully hopped and shuffled his way over to Rayla, who was now lying on the bloody table under the rack of knives. Callum found it hard to look at her. She still was only wearing her wrappings and pants, her armour probably discarded by their attackers. She was sporting a large bruise on her head. Her eyes were wide with fear. She shook her head as he approached. In a moment, Callum reflected that while they had quite a few close calls in their travels, neither of them had ever looked so desperate _. I really hope this will work..._ Callum thought _. I'll never forgive myself otherwise._

He hopped closer to her, still under the watchful eye of the man who held Rayla down by her shoulders. Callum swallowed before speaking, knowing that he would have to say the words just right for this to work.

"Rayla, I love you." Rayla's eyes softened a little, and Callum saw she was tearing up. He just hoped she'd be ready for this as well. "Manus pluma volantis!"

As he spoke these words with all the power he could muster, he felt the spell take effect. The symbols on his arms began to glow. Muardalt immediately saw what was happening.

"Stop him!" he screamed, but the others were too late to respond as within a moment Callum's arms had turned into giant mage wings, tearing apart the rope bonds on his hands. He was elevated that his plan had worked. If it could tear apart his sweaters, surely it would work with rope as well! But he groaned as he felt his arms and muscles twist. The position in which his arms had been behind his back made the transformation painful to say the least.

Callum didn't waste any time. His wings were almost twice his length and he used them to good effect, swatting away the man holding rayla with relative ease. Callum marvelled at the power in his wings, but figured they had to if they were to support him in flight.

"Quickly, take him down!" Maurdalt said. Callum saw him reach for ingredients on the shelf, but couldn't quite get to him as the other bandits formed a half circle around him, a variety of weapons drawn. Callum stepped forward and spun around, wings extended, causing the bandits to jump back. One of his wings hit the table and the knife rack causing Rayla to be shoved off and sharp knives being strewn around her. When Callum noticed, he cursed his carelessness. "Sorry! Are you alright!?"

Rayla groaned as she lay on the ground in the most uncomfortable position ever. She felt she had been nicked in her leg by one of the knives, but couldn't detect anything serious. "Uh hine!" She said through her gag. She watched as Callum swung around with the giant wings, wrecking the small cellar. The armed men tried to keep their distance or hit him with their weapons, but for the moment it was chaos, and no one knew where the wings would strike next, including Callum himself. Rayla lay in the corner of the room underneath the corpses, forgotten by their captors for the moment in favor of a more immediate threat.

Rayla twisted and pulled her legs up to her chest and wormed her hands under her butt and over her feet so that her bound hands were now in front of her. She could now pull the gag down. Grateful for the extra breathing room, she grabbed a knife from the ground and started working on her bonds. She went for her feet first. That would give her mobility, which she figured would be more useful in the enclosed space they were in. She heard Callum scream and looked up while still moving the knife. One of his wings were hit by the giant with the club. It didn't look like the wing was broken, but Callum was in serious pain, judging by the look on his face.

It was just at this moment that more people came down the cellar. An old man with a white beard walked down the stairway. "Muardalt! There's…. Am I interrupting something?"

Callum stopped his rapid swinging of his wings. "Help! They want to kill us!" he immediately screamed. As he said that, a bandit stepped forward to silence him, only to be clubbed in the chest by a wing.

Muardalt sighed. It was a stalemate for now, but his magic would make short work of the prince. He had already grabbed the ingredients he needed. He would cast it in a moment, though it was not something he would like to show the uninitiated. "What is it Horan? We're a bit busy with this upstart who wants to ruin our work."

The old man cast a doubtful look at the youngster who was sporting two immense wings. He seemed to draw his own conclusions to the matter. "Muardalt, they are coming again. The cityguard is on their way."

"So? Don't let them enter. The people will choose our side, as always." Muardalt said confidently, but the man shook his head.

"They come in force this time. They have already blocked all pathways leading to and from the monastery outside. We are surrounded!" Fear had entered this man's eyes as he said that.

Muardalt grumbled. This complicates things. He fingered the ingredients in his pouch. He could easily deal with this mage on his own. But the monastery needed additional support. "Alright, alright. Trias! Take your troupe and help the others upstairs! I'll deal with this!"

The former soldier looked about hesitantly at the new order. "We are but five, Muardalt. We can't handle the entire city guard!"

"Don't worry about that! I just want you to keep them out of the front door for a minute or two. Stall them while I finish stuff here. I’ll join you afterwards." The dark mage was looking intently in the direction of Callum, who was partially obscured by the others who tried to keep them at bay.

Trias shrugged, figuring the dark mage must know what he was doing. "Alright, you heard the man. Upstairs! Double time!" The group disengaged carefully from the winged mage and made their way up the stairs. As soon as they had gotten out of the way, Callum charged the mage, wanting to strike him down before he could get a spell out. But Muardalt was already prepared.

"Gnidnib fo sniahc!"

Chains materialized out of the walls and wrapped around Callums wings and torso. With force they pulled the prince against the wall. Muardalt walked towards Callum calmly. "It's impressive what you've accomplished. I'll be sure to seek you out in Katolis once we've reset your memory. But for now, let's break the concentration on your little spell, eh?" He prepared to punch Callum in the stomach when suddenly a figure jumped on his back. He felt two hands and rope tighten around his neck.

" Don't mind me! Hope I'm not … urgh!... interrupting!" Rayla said and grunted as she put her knee in the mages back and pulled, trying to choke him. The mage groaned and grasped at his neck. Her bound hands weren't effective at cutting off the flow of air, but the rope bindings did cut in his neck. Soon, the dark mage lost his own concentration on the spell and Callum sprawled on the ground.

Callum landed hard on his knees, his wings quickly coming down to prevent falling face first into the ground. He looked at the struggle. Rayla was doing her best to choke the living daylight out of the man, but it didn't seem to be working, though a trickle of blood could be seen at the man's neck. Muardalt then grabbed Rayla by the arm and with some effort threw her over his shoulder, the rope scraping his face as her bounds hands scraped past him. He caught his breath and tried to cast some kind of spell, but couldn't get the incantation out of his mouth yet. Callum wanted to cast spells back, but it would take too much time to focus and transform his wings back to arms and hands. Suddenly, he was reminded of something Belt had said to him.

_'Huh. I wonder if you could still cast spells while you have wings.'_

With no fingers, he used his right wing to draw the rune. To Callum's amazement, it worked! Bright blue streaks followed the tips of his feathers. The rune wasn't neat, but recognizable.

"Aspiro!" Callum yelled and blew at the dark mage who was propelled backwards. Two lanterns in the back wall were blown out by the sudden gust. Muardalt got up with hatred in his face. "You… You…. " he started, not quite finding the words to express his fury. "I'll gut you! You ungrateful wretch, I'll cut you both to bits!" He spat.

Rayla got up and moved next to Callum, her hands still bound. They shared a quick look of reassurance. In the small moment of quiet, they both noticed sounds of battle coming from upstairs.

"Good thinkin' Callum." Rayla said, a bit out of breath. "We'll just have to hold on a little longer."

Callum nodded and gritted his teeth as he saw the dark mage prepare another spell.

-/-/-/-

The first minute had been the worst. Viren had expected the enormous bird to be slow, graceful maybe. Instead, it attacked with lightning speed, it's long, thin beak pecking holes in the ground and walls, missing them by inches as they kept dodging it's blows. Aaravos had taken to the skies and tried to distract it with some display of light magic Viren didn't recognized.

"Claudia, now!" Viren shouted. Claudia intoned the spell and a giant tentacle appeared, wrapping itself around the neck. The creature looked outraged as Claudia tried top pull it downwards. It stopped it's pecking assault and spread it's four wings. Viren watched in amazement as all four of them started glowing.

"Watch out!" Aaravos' voice rang through the caves.

Viren gritted his teeth. He had wanted to prevent this. He raised his staff to cast a spell, but it was at that moment that the creature closed all of its wings with a thunderous clap. All of a sudden, complete and utter darkness enveloped him. Viren couldn't see anything, but noted he couldn't hear anything either. Not the giant bird's frantic movements, nor the shuffling of his own feet. It was completely quiet around him.

"...Claudia?" He called out carefully. Silence. Then, slowly but surely, he saw light around himself. He could see his own body again. In the distance, a spot of light appeared. Viren saw it, but didn't approach. He scanned his surroundings. "What kind of spell did the emperor cast…" he muttered to himself. "Claudia? Aaravos?" He called out again. No answer.

Then, a figure appeared in the spot of light in the distance. To his horror Viren saw his daughter lying on the ground, eyes open, staring vacantly in the distance. "Claudia, no!"

Viren rushed towards his daughter. When he almost reached her, he heard the voice of Aaravos, using a commanding tone he hadn't heard before. "Viren, stop! Don't move!" Despite his own instincts, Viren stopped and obeyed. A second later, the giant beak of the beast pecked several times at the body of Claudia, going right through her and into the stone underneath.

Viren's mouth opened to scream as he felt his heart tear at the sight of his daughter being pecked to death, only for his mind to catch up and process what he was actually seeing. The beak had passed right through the body, leaving no marks. The body of Claudia hadn't even moved. An illusion!

Viren moved around cautiously. He felt like he couldn't trust his senses now. "Aaravos? Where are you?"

"Patience Viren… I just need a little bit more time…" Came the reply. Viren was worried. It had sounded strained. He still hadn't heard or seen anything from his daughter.

Then, a blinding flash and the sound of thunder! Viren blinked against the light, trying to get the white and black spots out of his vision. Sounds returned to him. He heard the flapping of wings and the scraping of claws against rock. He heard the heavy breathing of Aaravos' creature. He looked around and saw it flying around frantically.

"Viren, I've dispelled the illusion and the darkness!" It said as it kept buzzing around, dodging the attacks of the creature. "I'll hold its attention, the rest is up to you!"

Callum gripped his knife and his staff. Looks like I have to resort to using magic after all… He grimaced at the prospect. He still hadn't seen Claudia however. He looked around with worry, but felt relieved as he saw her familiar form step into the light from an alcove. "Ah, Claudia, you're okay!" Viren said with relief in his voice.

Claudia raised her staff and shouted an incantation. "Flamma Murum!" Flames appeared and encircled both her and the great beast. Viren was confused. Why would she lock herself up with the creature inside the flame circle?

Through the flames, Viren could see her turn and face him. She was already waving runes for more flame spells. "Sorry dad, but you will not hurt this creature."

-/-/-/-

Rayla screamed as she charged the man. She jumped, her bound hands raised above her head, intent to pummel him on the head with her bound hands folded together. Muardalt quickly cast his spell, the words rattling out of his mouth. "Pu og, nwod semoc hcihw taht!" Rayla felt herself lurge mid-air and fall to the ceiling. Disoriented, she had to look up to see both Callum and the dark mage.

The elf now temporarily disabled, the dark mage moved to focus on Callum, but he didn't account for the prince to get in close combat with him that fast. The giant wings started to pummel on the dark mage who desperately tried to shield his face. The blows of Callum's wings were hard, but uncoordinated. They would often miss or just scrape the man.

"Enough of this!" The dark mage reached into his pouch and spoke the incantation, ignoring the blows to its head and shoulders. "Deniard eb efil ruoy tel!" he screamed as he held out a hand to Callum.

Callum then sagged. His wings turned back into arms, and his skin turned greyish. Callum felt himself become weaker and weaker. His breaths became ragged as the man held out his hand towards Callum. The dark mage seemed to enjoy every second of it, life returning to his own features. Slowly but surely, Muardalts visage returned back to normal, the corruption on his face fading away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move across the ceiling. _The elf!_ Muardalt had already made the mistake of ignoring her once, and the ceiling wasn't so high that he was out of her reach. He instinctively ducked as he felt something graze the bald patch of his skull. Blood trickled down his face. He looked up, the elf now standing on the ceiling. Her bounds were cut and she was holding a knife in her hands.

"Yer mine now, ya daft scunner!" Her accent was thick with fury. Muardalt found himself actually being afraid of the elf. He kept low, trying to get out of the elf's reach. Rayla countered this by running up the wall and jumping in Muardalt's direction. He didn't expect this and tried to evade but was nowhere near fast enough and suddenly he felt a searing pain as the knife was plunged into his thigh. Rayla hang onto him, Muardalt now had a strange weight attached to him that tried to lift him to the ceiling as Rayla was still affected by the reverse gravity spell. As they struggled, Rayla called out to Callum.

"Callum! See if you can douse the lights!" She called out.

Callum caught his breath and looked around. The drain spell seemed to be broken, but still a lot of his energy had left his body. But there were only two lanterns still burning, all the candles having been extinguished by the scuffle. He drew the rune of aspiro, trying to suppress the shaking of his hand. He took one last look at the scuffle and saw Rayla leaping off the dark mage who was now sporting some kind of monstrous claw, having cast another spell in the meantime. "Aspiro…" he almost whispered. He blew, and the wind knocked down the last two lanterns, extinguishing the entire room into darkness.

Muardalt looked around. Everything was completely black and still, with only a bit of light coming from the stairwell. Sounds of battle could still be heard upstairs, but he tried to lock those out. He could detect the shallow breathing of someone in the corner of the room. _Probably the prince_. He ignored him for now, figuring he was too weak to be a danger. The elf however…

When nothing happened for a while, Muardalt tried to remember what information Viren had given him about the elf. _She was a special type of elf… moonshadow I believe. Her occupation was… assasin!?_ Dread entered his system as he now realized what he was up against in the complete darkness. Something whooshed past him. He turned, trying to keep up with the sound, but then he thought he heard another woosh from a different direction.

"Semalf fo t-" He held out his hand to cast a flame spell, but immediately felt the pain of knives entering his arm and shoulder. "Aurhg!" he crumpled to the ground, hoping the reverse gravity spell was still in effect and would keep her out of his reach. Then he heard a clatter in the distance. Afraid, he stumbled back into the wall. His own breathing was ragged now. He didn't know where the danger was. He thought he heard a sound and swung with his claw, only to be nicked by a knife in the leg. "Aaah!" His own voice betrayed his fear now. _This is insane! I can't cast like this, and I can't fight like this!_ He lowered himself to the ground completely and crawled towards the stairwell. He felt his confidence returning as he reached the bottom of the stairs. _I… I will get the others. They are fighters. They will make short work of the two..._

But as he reached the top of the stairs, his hearth caught in his throat as he heard the now familiar voice of a very angry elf close to his ear. "Thanks for makin’ this easy for me." He screamed as Rayla got to work on her prey.

-/-/-/-

Viren watched in horror as Claudia began casting sunfire magic with her staff, aimed at him. "Claudia, no!" Stunned that his own daughter would do this, he watched the giant flaming ball come his way, only to be grabbed and dragged into the air at the last second by Aaravos.

"That was too close Viren." Aaravos said in an admonishing tone.

Viren didn't reply, but watched his daughter grab a fossilized tentacle out of her bag and began casting a very familiar dark magic spell. "Watch out Aaravos, she's trying to grab us."

Aaravos turned his front against the approaching tentacle. "Contra!" The creature said with a deep vibration in its voice. The tentacle switched direction and wrapped itself around Claudia, who by now had dropped the sunstone staff and struggled to get free.

Suddenly, Aaravos dived, as the emperor reigar attacked them again. Viren clung to Aaravos. "What is happening? Why has my daughter turned on us!?"

"It's the emperor reigar." came Aaravos' reply. "It has used illusion against us, then darkness, and now charm." As on que, dozens of strange winged monstrosities appeared before them. They were all the size of dogs, but with wings and horns. Viren saw them getting closer and tried to strike them as they got too close. Aaravos simply ignored them and flew right through them. It took a moment for Viren to realize this was yet another illusion.

"Incredible… so how do we kill it?"

"With your magic, Viren! Why haven't you used it yet!?" Aaravos seemed agitated, having noticed the dark mage's hesitance.

Viren gritted his teeth and didn't reply. After a moment, he said "Drop me near the sunstaff." Aaravos swooped down and Viren jumped off, going for the staff straight away. He kept an eye on Claudia, who was still struggling, being wrapped up by her own spell. Viren whipped around. He saw the throat of the creature turning orange. "Aaravos, watch out! I think I know what it's fourth power is!" Aaravos flew through the cavern and banked to get out of the way, but was too late as he was engulfed in flames. Viren clenched his teeth, tension and fear overcoming him as he saw his ally disappear in the bright orange blaze.

At the same time Claudia freed herself from the spell. Viren saw her get up with a look of menace on her face. "Dad, give me the staff, now!" she growled.

Viren could no longer hesitate. He had to end this now! "Noctu igne!" He incanted one of the few sunfire spells he knew. A giant, black ball of heat and energy appeared. Viren launched it at the emperor reigar just as Claudia leaped for the sunstone staff. Viren got to take one last look at his daughter menacing eyes before they were all engulfed in the following explosion.

-/-/-/-

Captain Cragorce stood inside the small temple, taking stock. It had taken a while to get inside. Some of the cultists had proven to be very capable fighters, but with all the exit routes covered, the guards could take their time. They had forced the doors and shot anyone inside carrying a weapon with arrows until they surrendered. _Still, the loss of life had been unfortunate,_ he reflected. The wounded that were housed in the temple had been transported to other houses of healing. The cultists who had surrendered had been rounded up. They all sat against the wall, hands bound, their white robes dirty from the scuffle.

As the captain scanned the temple, he noticed one door in the back that hadn't been opened yet. He signalled some of the guards to follow him. Two guards loaded their crossbows as one other guard grabbed his shield and held it in front of him. Carefully they approached the door. The captain was just about to reach for the handle as it opened on its own. Two dirty and bloody teenagers stood in the entryway, staring wide eyed at the soldiers.

"Stopdon'tshoot!" Callum shouted, his hands flying up in the air. Rayla crouched a little, a bloody knife in her hand, but tried to make no threatening movements. She was ready to bolt at a moment’s notice however.

"Who are you?" The captain demanded. "Declare yourself in the name of Queen Aanya."

"I'm prince Callum of Katolis. This is Rayla of Xadia, captain of the dragonguard." Callum hoped that their full titles would impress them enough to lower those crossbows.

"Ah, the prince and the elf!" he exclaimed. "Alright. Lower your weapons." he said to the guards. Then he turned back to the pair. "Prince Callum, and captain… Raja was it?" Rayla nodded, even though his pronunciation of her name was off. "I am captain Cragorce of the city guard. I was told to expect the two of you here. However, I didn't expect this much resistance." He said as he looked back to the bodies behind him. "What was your mission here?"

Callum looked beyond the guards and saw them rounding up the cultists and moving away the sick and injured. "Probably the same as yours sir. We were sent here to investigate the use of dark magic. We've confirmed that these cultists are indeed dark magic users."

"Ah… and what's downstairs?"

Callum didn't answer, but grimaced. He motioned them to follow him.

Light flooded the cellar once again. The captain immediately motioned for his guards to check all corners of the cellar. They all carried torches, and as the light inside got brighter, the utter chaos that reigned here became apparent. A broken, bloody table could be seen against the far wall, with pieces of broken shelves strewn about the room. Lanterns were lying on the ground, long extinguished, and various knives and saws could be seen lying on the floor. In the corner of the room hung a few corpses, some lying on the ground, having fallen off of their chains. A large red stain could be seen near a wall, next to a bucket that hat toppled over. And in the centre of the room lay a man, unconscious, bruised, bloody and bound.

"That's him." Rayla spat. "That's the bastard you want."

The captain nodded. One of the guards called the captain for his attention. "Captain, take a look at this." The captain moved closer to the corpses and immediately recognized the bodies of two dead elves. "By the gods…" Shocked, he turned to Callum and Rayla. "What happened here?"

Callum moved to explain, but Rayla beat him to it. "Scunner tried ta use dark magic usin' elf parts. Tried ta kill me." Then she looked at Callum with worry in her eyes. "And make 'im forget." Her voice was still thick with emotion. Callum gauged her mood. Gingerly, he moved in to embrace her. He rubbed her back, even though Rayla didn't return the hug. Eventually, she let the knife drop to the floor. Only now did she notice the cramps in her hand, evidence of how tight she had been holding it. "I… I was so close Callum…. So close to killing him…" She started to sob, tears forming in her eyes. Callum hugged her tighter.

"Shhhh… it's over now. We're alive." He said softly, doing the best he could to calm her down.

"Yeah… we are…" Only now did she return the embrace. They stood there for a moment as the guards investigated the cellar. The corpses were laid on the ground, and white sheets were brought down and placed over them. Muardalt's unconscious body was carried away.

Eventually they broke their hug. Callum turned to the captain. "Sir, did you find any of our stuff?"

"Your stuff?" the captain asked confused.

Callum nodded. "Yeah, I'm missing a book. She's missing some swords." He looked back at her. She was a bit shy now that the shock had passed, wearing just her boots, pants and wrappings. "Aaaand some clothes."

The captain motioned up the stairs. "There's a room on the second floor. It was abandoned. We haven't investigated it yet. If your stuff is in this building, it could be over there."

"Ah! Good! Do you mind if we…?"

The captain shrugged. "You are the prince of Katolis, and have been given free reign by queen Aanya herself. Be my guest."

Rayla and Callum made their way to the second floor of the building. There was only one room here, its door lying on the floor, apparently having been forced open. There was only one window in this room, and it looked out on the interior hall of the temple. Callum saw that the various cultists were now being led away _. Glad that's over…_ he thought. He then recognized several white sheets on the ground, the shapes and red stains betraying what lay underneath. He didn't know for sure who the unfortunate souls were who had died, but counting five and looking at the size of one particular large body, he could gues.

Rayla in the meantime had opened a chest. "Callum! I found our stuff!" She was excited to see that they had brought her vest and armour. Even her blades were still there. Eagerly she began to dress herself. Callum decided to investigate the desk against the far wall. He saw several books that looked interesting. Leafing through them, he saw various entry notes and pieces of information. One book was a diary, the other a book containing information about their use of dark magic.

"Did you find anything interesting?" Rayla called out from the other side of the room. She was putting their bags back in order. When she didn't receive an answer, she looked back at Callum. She only saw his back, and hadn't moved a muscle. "Callum?"

She quickly made her way next to him. He didn't look at her, but stared at an entry in the book, eyes wide with a look of utter disgust written on his face. She looked at the page, but the information it contained appeared complex. "Callum, what's wrong? You're worrying me." She shook his shoulder, hoping he would snap out of it.

"Rayla… they were using dark magic alright." He pointed at the book. "It says here that they used plants and animal parts to cast known spells, but this dark mage Muardalt writes that he wanted to see if he could press things further…" Callum swallowed, stuttering as he continued. "H-he thought that... s-since elves have a natural c-c-connection to the arcanum, they could also be used as ingredients. He h-has already written down two spells, one using the b-b-brain, the other using the h-heart…" An icy silence descended on the room, only being interrupted by the sound of Rayla emptying her stomach's contents in the corner.

-/-/-/-

The city of Calatheas had quieted down as evening fell. Rumours of what went on in the cellars below the temple had spread throughout the city. While many were outraged by the temple being shut down, many more were disgusted when they heard reports of elven bodies found underneath the temple. Even if no one knew for certain what they had been used for, but despite the tension with Xadia not many liked the thought that they might have been healed by using elven parts, so it served as a warning for many to stay away from dark magic. Inside the council hall of Calatheas however, opinions of its use were divided. Three figures sat around a table, discussing the recent events.

"So my brother and Rayla have knocked out the ring leader of this gang, or cult, or whatever." Ezran said, concluding his report. "Does that mean the end of the entire operation?"

Queen Aanya looked at her counterpart from Katolis. She was glad that he had made haste to get here to work on their plans for King Aureum. It was pure coincidence that he arrived at the same day as the scuffle in the temple. They had agreed to an emergency meeting straight away. "I don't think so. The notes found in the temple also describe plans for false propaganda. The man was smart enough to not write down names, but stupid enough to give a general outline of the plan." She put down the notes and gave the other two a tired look. "Apparently, they wanted to make the populace addicted to dark magic, or at the very least make sure that everyone knew how to use it and use it constantly for small stuff. It would have created an incredible demand for magic ingredients, which in turn would have let to bounty hunters, poachers etc, etc. In short, it would have led to another war with Xadia."

Ezran nodded. He had come to a similar conclusion. He looked at the third person at the table. So far, he had said little of interest. "What are your thoughts on this, representative Zeron?"

The man looked back at the two young rulers intently. He had long black hair, wrapped in a ponytail. His bright blue eyes gave a sharp contrast against his pale skin. But the most astonishing feature of this representative of Xadia was that he was human. By appearances, he looked between 20 and 30, but king Ezran and queen Aanya both thought that the cold, blue eyes showed something far older, far more experienced. His voice was deep and pleasant to listen to.

"I think that Duren has done well to take the opportunity to root out dark magic. The destruction of the cult reaffirms that Duren takes the interests of Xadia and its creatures at heart. I'm glad to hear that all went well, and that this was handled with a minimum loss of life."

"Yes, though I doubt this will be the last we've seen of this 'True Light' cult. In any case, thank you for informing us of prince Callum's and captain Rayla's whereabouts. I believe the city guard arrived at the scene just in time"

The man merely shrugged. "We like to keep tabs on our people. From what your report tells us, Rayla of Xadia managed to do just fine on her own. Concerning the 'True Light, it is likely that this was just one small part of a larger operation. My intel says that their base op operation lies in Neolandia. This is where their leader, whom you know as lord Viren, operates from."

Queen Aanya appeared annoyed at that news. "We should contact the king of Neolandia as soon as possible, see what measures they have taken against them.

King Ezran shook his head. "Wasn't he dying because of the moonshadow elf assassination attempt? I wonder if he's still in charge, or if he even knows what goes on in that country."

"Xadia hasn't sent any assassins to Neolandia, just Katolis." Zeron said. "Whatever happened there, it wasn't us."

Queen Aanya waved it away. "That is a topic for another time. Right now we have a people divided in Duren. It appears that many more people relied on dark magic than we presumed, or maybe the benefits from the free healing at the temple appealed to them. In any case, the discussion on whether it is good or bad to use dark magic remains active."

Zeron leaned back in his chair, hands folded in front of him. "On that matter I cannot advice. I can only say that reintroducing dark magic will be devastating to your relations with Xadia."

"Yes, that is why we've already sent our… suggestions to king Aureum Umbra. Do you have a response for us?" King Ezran asked, trying to refrain from grinning.

Zeron grinned back openly. "Yes, a masterstroke that one. Inviting the king with the veiled threat of inviting other archdragons otherwise, while at the same time holding a ball in the honour of peace between our nations. The king couldn't refuse such an invitation, lest his standing decrease with the other dragons and the rest of Xadia. Tell me, how did either of you know what transpired at the dragonmoot?"

Queen Aanya kept her mouth shut and merely smiled. She had no clue of course. Half of the idea and information had come from Ezran, and he hadn't seen fit to explain to her exactly where he got so many of Xadia's state secrets.

"So he's coming?" King Ezran asked. Zeron nodded. "Excellent! The upcoming ball will be the perfect opportunity to introduce the nobles to the dragon king!"

Queen Aanya nodded as well. "The ball will be held in two days, just in time for when king Aureum Umbra arrives. Will you be staying with us until then, representative Zeron?"

The man shook his head. "No, but I will join the king when he arrives." He stood up. "If that is all?"

The queen nodded and rose as well, but king Ezran stayed seated. "One more thing…" he said. "You owe an apology to my brother and his girlfriend."

Queen Aanya looked baffled. It was strange to think that this representative of Xadia should owe anyone an apology, and it was stranger still that king Ezran who had likely never seen the man before would make such an accusation. But as she looked at king Ezran, she saw that he meant it. His childlike demeanour had disappeared as he looked at Zeron intently, his eyes never leaving those of the man opposite of him.

The man remained motionless for a while, and then smiled, much to everyone's surprise. "I'll do you the courtesy of being honest. I'm pleasantly surprised. It just shows that I need to be careful with whom I discuss things and where." He took a deep breath, and continued. "You're right of course. I do owe the both of them an apology. I will make sure to have it ready for at the ball. I'm not sorry for what I did, but I'm sorry that I had to do it to them."

King Ezran said nothing, but merely nodded. Zeron bowed to the both of them and walked out of the council hall where a delegation of elves, his escorts, were waiting on him.

Queen Aanya waited until her guards closed the door again. "So strange that king Aureum Umbra would send a human to negotiate with us. Do you think he did it on purpose, to make us feel more at ease?"

King Ezran didn't look at her when she asked the question. His eyes hadn't left the door. "He's not a human Aanya. He's a dragon."

-/-/-/-

Callum and Rayla had spent the next two days staying in the palace on queen Aanya's invitation. They gladly accepted and enjoyed the time they had to catch their breath after their latest adventure. Rayla had asked to write a report to king Aureum Umbra, but the queen informed them that he would be here at the ball in two days' time, and that it would take longer for the message to reach the Storm Spire than to just simply wait for the king to arrive here. So they just sat in their room, keeping each other comfort.

"It was a close one this time wasn't it?" Rayla said as she lay in her boyfriend's arms.

"Hmmm…." Callum hummed. "I mean, it was close with Sol Regem, and with the battle at the Storm Spire."

Rayla said nothing, but was lost in thought.

Callum scanned the room. It was luxurious, but relatively small. It had a couch, a table with a couple of chairs, and a twin bed. There was a window looking down on the courtyard below, and another door leading presumably to the bathroom. Callum had felt the need to explore, but they had both jumped the couch when they got in and hadn't gotten up since. They were just so tired!

_Still,_ he thought, _it'd be nice to have a proper bath after all this_. His clothes reeked with sweat and blood, and they were torn in places where knives or weapons of their captors had hit him. Rayla had it worse, having rolled around all corners of the room in her tangle with Muardalt. Callum was proud of her. As soon as he had extinguished the lanterns, the dark mage didn't stand a chance against his moonshadow elf assassin. Even better was that she managed to do it all without killing him. He hugged her tightly, which earned him a questioning look from the object of his admiration. "Oh, just thinking of how amazing you were in that fight!" he said sweetly. Rayla didn't reply, but smiled at him and lifted a bit to give him a kiss. While Callum enjoyed that, he also smelled her. He made up his mind on what to do next.

He untangled himself from his girlfriend and opened the door to the bathroom. Duren was renowned for their bathhouses, aqueducts and high hygiene standards, so he figured his room would have a bathtub of some kind. Turns out, he was correct. "Rayla? Come check this out!"

His tired moonshadow elf came to his side and gasped as she saw the giant bathtub. It was humongous! It could easily fit three adults in there. Callum had already spotted the faucets that gave both warm and cold water.

"I mean, that is just overkill." She commented as she gestured at the tub. "One could drown in there! Can you imagine?" She looked over at Callum who still hadn't said anything, but was grinning at her.

"Ooh no my sweet prince! Not in your lifetime's what I said!" Rayla took a step back as Callum moved to turn the faucets, causing warm water to flow in the tub.

"Aw, come on Rayla! Duren's known for their baths! It will be nice!" Callum insisted, reaching for her hands.

"Callum, unless you want to find out if you can actually drown in the tub, I suggest you drop it." She said with a warning tone. She didn't know if he tried to be romantic or not, but she was afraid of water, and his insistence was beginning to piss her off.

Callum halted his advance and pouted. "Look," he said. "Your smelly, your tense. They've got hot water and soap for you. It'll be good for you!"

Rayla cast the tub a doubtful glance. _Hot water did sound nice...it was just that it was...water!_ She looked down at herself. She was covered in bruises and scrapes. They had all been treated by the medic, but honestly? She needed a bath. At least it's big enough so we don't get tangled in one another… _that would be awkward!_ She sighed.

"Alright then, I'll take your stupid bath." she grumbled as she moved into the bathroom and started to undress. Callum was glad. He hoped that it would help her unwind a bit after the battle.

"Alright, great! Just, you know, throw your clothes out the door so I can ask an attendant to wash them." He said as he moved out of the bathroom.

"Uagh!? I thought we were going to take a bath together!"

Callum turned red straight away. "Uuh, n-no, I thought we would take t-turns?"

Rayla frowned angrily at him and slammed the door, leaving a flabbergasted Callum outside. "What did I do wrong this time?" he muttered to himself.

Rayla in the meantime stripped and put the clothes in a basket. _He is right,_ she thought as she eyed her chest wrappings, still dirty from the fight in the cellar. _My clothes do need washin'_. She hadn't planned to go skinny-dipping in the bathtub together, but if she was going alone, she might as well make sure all of her clothing were washed. She covered herself with a towel, opened the door a bit and pushed the basked outside before closing it. Then she stepped into the tub and gingerly lowered herself into the warm water _. Aaah! Oookay, this is grand!_ The warm water had an immediate effect on her muscles. The truth was she had never been in a tub like this before. If she ever bathed with warm water, it was just using a bucket of it with a washing cloth. This kind of luxury she had never experienced before. She was still afraid of water, but she had to admit that this was nice and relaxing. Especially because today she had several much more terrifying experiences.

She pushed those thoughts away and eyed a pedestal at the far end of the bathtub. On it were six round balls the size of her fist. They had different colours and a stonelike texture, but as she got close she could smell the wondrous aroma coming off of them. "Oh, I wonder what these are for…"

Callum, in the meantime, had searched for an attendant and had just delivered the laundry. Their backpack was returned to them, so they still had a set of spare clothing, even though it was just simple linen. Rayla's armour would take a day to be restored to its former glory, they had said. He was just about to flop on the bed and take a nap when he heard screams coming from the bathroom. "Callum! Callum help! Help me!"

Callum rushed to the bathroom and pulled open the door, fully prepared to fight off any assassins, brigands, dragons and other monsters he expected to find. Instead, he was greeted by a wall of foam. "W-what!? Rayla!?"

"In here! Help me! I can't see!" Came the frightened reply.

Callum quickly thought of a solution. He found that he did have one. "Alright, sit down!" he said as he drew the rune. "Aspiro!" The wall of bubbles immediately dispersed before his gale. The foam was blown against the far side of the wall. It had nowhere to go, but most of it turned back into liquid as it was compressed by the force of his spell. Once he was done, the bathroom was a giant mess, with clouds of foam flying about. The bathtub still had a sizeable mountain of foam on it, but Callum could see a pair of horns and the eyes of a very flustered moonshadow elf.

"What did you do!?" Callum exclaimed as he approached the tub and pushed away some of the foam.

"I-I dunno!" She stuttered, making sure that her body stayed under the layer of foam. "I saw these coloured balls and thought that it was soap, so I started washing myself. But as soon as it touched the water, it turned into foam. I was startled, and bumped into the rest of them."

Callum was laughing. "Let me guess, all the foam balls rolled into your bathtub, is that correct?" Callum only saw Rayla's eyes, but he could tell she was embarrassed. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure the servants in this castle will love this story, even if it takes a bit of clean-up."

Rayla didn't reply, but leaned against the bathtub with her back to Callum. She dared raise her head a little above the foam. It seemed to cover the water completely, which was important to her right now.

Callem eyed his girlfriend and did his best to push any indecent thoughts to the background, instead trying to be a caring boyfriend. He grabbed a stool and sat directly behind her. With his fingers he started to go through her hair, gently rubbing her skull. Rayla was startled at first, but relaxed as he did his work. "...that feels nice." she said eventually.

"Hmmm…. How's your bath, Ray?"

Rayla snorted. "'Ray?' Are you trying to give me a nickname, my sweet human prince?"

He grinned. "Maybe I am. So how's the bath?"

She focused on her muscles slowly loosening in the warm water. Her cuts and bruises felt less tender. Overall, she felt very relaxed. "It's… nice. Much nicer than I anticipated."

"I figure you never had such an experience back home" He ventured carefully, hoping to not broach a sensitive topic. But she laughed, taking away his worry.

"No, I was an awful child. Never wanted to stay in the water, so I never wanted to take a bath either. Gave my parents hell for it too." She sighed. "Ah, the good old days." She felt a painful tug at the mention of her parents. It had been close to half a year since their passing. She had been angry and ashamed at first, and dealt with that emotion. Knowing that in the end they fought and died was more of a relief than a burden at that point. Still, she remembered what Garthen had said.

"Callum? Some skywing elf tried to apply for the dragonguard. He was one of the cowards that had fled the previous dragonguard, so he didn't get the job, but... " She turned around to face him. "He said that they never found my parents' bodies, and that's why everyone said they ran away."

Callum watched her intently, but didn't reply, just looking at her questioningly, wondering what had brought that up all of a sudden.

"When you used that spell, did you see what happened to them?"

Callum thought back to the moment he cast the spell. He replayed the memory in his head, then sighed. "As far as I can tell, he did something to them, causing them to disappear, screaming. I-it wasn't pretty. I saw Viren pick up something afterwards, probably as a trophy or something."

"Ow, right…" Rayla's mood turned sombre at the thought that their last moments had been spent in agony. She sagged a little in the bathtub. Callum moved in to hug her from behind, putting his cheek against hers and his arm around the front of her shoulders.

"It's alright Rayla. That's all in the past. We've got to think of the future now."

Rayla sighed in his embrace, appreciating the comfort, but she was also instantly aware of something else. "Callum? Thank you, but em... could you remove your arm? Without looking?"

"Huh, wha-oh!" He made some unintelligent noises as he quickly covered his eyes. Rayla let herself lower in the bathtub some more and gathered more foam around her, repairing the foam blanket that Callum’s arm just tore a hole in.

"So, hehe." she laughed awkwardly. "What about the future, my prince?"

Callum sat up straight and went back to gently caressing the top of her head, much to her enjoyment. "What about it my little moonie?"

Rayla snorted. "Callum, no, just… no!” She snorted and tried to contain her laughter. “But now that this mission is complete, what's next...for us?"

Callum thought for a bit. "Well, we have the ball the day after tomorrow. And after that, I'll hopefully be able to study magic in Xadia? So I'll be close by to visit you I guess."

Rayla puffed away some foam that had gotten too close to her face. "You do realise that Xadia is the size of all five human kingdoms combined, right? Callum, I don't think you'll be close enough to visit most of the time."

"Oh…" he said at length. He hadn't thought about that. In his mind, he would stay at the Storm Spire and fly off to wherever his future school was. "I mean… we… could write?"

Rayla made a sound that sounded like a cross between a laugh and a groan. "So now I need to add that to the list of my already boring administrative duty? Writing love letters?"

Callum pouted, but she couldn't see. His pout turned into a smile as she pet his hand. "Of course I'll write you dummy." She grabbed a hold of his wrist gently, caressing his skin to return some kind of comfort. "We'll figure it out. So long as we get to be together some time."

Callum sighed. He figured his relationship with the elf wasn't going ot be easy, and now it had the danger of turning into a long distance relationship as well. He had read books about those _. I just hope ours won't be so melodramatic!_ "Yeah, we'll figure it out." he repeated.

"Good." She turned around, lifted her head just above the bathtub and kissed him. "Now get out, the foam's nearly gone."

Callum felt a familiar blush cover his cheeks. "Right!"

-/-/-/-

Queen Aanya was being led through the ballroom. This was the room where the ball would be tomorrow. Invitations had been send to all the nobles of the pentarchy, together with a clear message; If you want peace with Xadia, now is your chance. She watched as decorative bundles of flowers were placed at strategic places for maximum effect. The ballroom itself was huge, with tall windows from ground to ceiling and large balconies on all sides. It had a courtyard attached, but that spot was reserved for the VIP of the evening; the dragon king.

King Ezran was strolling with her. Not really having any pressing duties right now, he preferred to just walk and talk with someone of his own age. They talked a bit about their expectations, but also joked about stories they heard about the servants. Just as king Ezran was laughing about a comment the queen made about a flower arrangement, they were interrupted by Rayla.

She curtsied before them. "Your um… majesties?" she said hesitantly. Queen Aanya laughed softly.

King Ezran greeted her back. "Hey Rayla, what's up?"

Rayla tucked some hair behind her ear. "Oh, nothing much. Rescuing dragons, uncovering cults, you know how it goes. What about you?"

Ezran laughed at her response. Queen Aanya answered for him. "We're doing fine. All the preparations are underway and on schedule. This will be the grandest ball Duren has held as of yet." She said with some pride in her voice.

"Right, um!" Rayla was now acutely aware she had absolutely no clothes suitable for such an event. She pushed her worry away for now. One thing at a time, she thought. "King Ezran? Could I ask you something?" She eyed the queen for a second, but figured what she was about to ask wasn't too big of a deal, and she didn't want to intrude.

"Sure, and it's just Ezran for you Rayla." The young kid said with a smile. It warmed Rayla's heart that despite his new responsibilities, he hadn't changed his demeanour.

"Right, well, I know that Callum has already had his birthday, but I haven't gotten the chance to give him something for it." As she saw Ezrans look of surprise, she added, "I didn't even know it was his birthday two weeks ago."

"Ah right!" Ezran seemed to think for a moment. "Did you try to give him jelly tarts?"

Rayla sniggered. "No, I'm not sure he's as fond of them as you are. And I've never tried to make them."

"What does prince Callum like to do in his free time?" Queen Aanya interjected.

Rayla thought for a bit. "Well, he either talks about magic, or… his drawings. And he told me he's learning how to paint now as well."

The queen sniggered. "Sounds like a talented man."

Rayla blushed a little, feeling proud. "Yes… yes he is."

"Well, why don't you give him something to paint then? Some nice scenery or something." Ezran said as he eyed a pile of pastries being brought to the head table.

"Hmmmm… something to paint." An idea struck Rayla _. I can pull it off… I think, but I need some help._ She looked at the queen, who was surprised by her sudden attention.

"Yes?" She asked expectantly.

"I know what I want to give Callum. Buttem... I'll need a little bit of help."

The queen laughed heartily as she heard Rayla's plan. "That's so cute! Of course I'll help! And I know just the thing!"

Ezran made a disgusted sound. "You and Callum are just… yugh!"

-/-/-/-

The ball was a great success. While the local populace had been terrified as the king of the dragons and a platoon of Xadian soldiers approached the city, they also marvelled at its majesty, most having never seen a dragon before. Introductions had been made between the king and the nobles, and promises of good fortune and trade were exchanged.

Callum noted that a lot of elf delegates appeared to be present as well. He frowned. He had wanted to ask Rayla about these things, but she was nowhere to be found. Come to think of it, she was kind of weird yesterday, almost as if she was hiding something… He nodded to various human nobles who greeted him and pushed the thought out of his mind. It didn't matter much to him, as long as she was on time for his surprise. He went through a lot of trouble to arrange it after all. Well, he and the queen of Duren, that is.

"Callum!" He whipped around as he heard his name, only to realize it was Ezran who called him. Still, he smiled at him, so proud at his little-brother-the-king. He bowed, only slightly mockingly. "Your majesty." He said with a grin.

Ezran sniggered and definitely returned a mocking bow. Then they hugged.

"Say, have you seen Rayla around here somewhere?"

"Yes, actually, I have!" Ezran said with a knowing smile. Callum didn't quite get that.

"So, where is she?"

Ezran stood up straight, taking a regal pose. With his best posh voice, he started. "Prince Callum of Katolis, may I present to you, lady Rayla of Xadia, honoured captain of the dragonguard." Ezran gestured behind Callum with his arm. Callum turned around, and there she was.

Rayla stood before him, but this wasn't the Rayla he knew. This wasn't the warrior princes, with the snarky remarks and the cheeky grin, carrying swords and wearing armor. Instead, she was wearing a silk, silver-white dress, a perfect match for her hair, which had braided strands which flowed to the back of her head. The dress clung to her waist. Her top half was covered by a silver half-cape which she had closed at the front. She wore gloves with long sleeves, ascending just a little above the elbow. "Wow…" was all he could say.

Rayla held out her hands nervously. "'Wow'? Is that all you have to say to your girlfriend? I did dress up for you, you know." She said with a grin, but a blush did betray her nervousness. He quickly embraced her and kissed her on the lips, but he had to angle his head upwards a bit. Callum noted that she was even taller now, and figured she was probably wearing heels.

"Wow... " He said again. " You look amazing!"

Rayla just kept blushing. "Thanks. You look quite dashing yourself."

Callum smiled proudly and stood up a little straighter. His little brother had brought some of his gala clothes with him, which were basically the same colour scheme, but more neat, and more adorned. He still wore the scarf though.

"Right, I'm gonna go before you guys make me barf." Ezran said.

Callum laughed. "Sorry little brother. We'll have a talk when you're a bit older?" He offered.

Ezrans look told Callum exactly what he thought of that prospect. Instead, he switched topics. "You do plan to stick around a while, right? Queen Aanya will give her speech in a bit!"

Rayla was nervous. She had to lead Callum away for her surprise, but she supposed it was rude to just skip the entire ball before the moment supreme happened. "Yeah, we'll stick around." She said, hiding her hesitance.

Ezran nodded and walked off. As he did, Callum hugged her from behind. She heard Callum sniff her hair. "Hmm! You really… look amazing, smell amazing, you just are amazing."

Now Rayla gigled.

"Happy birthday my dear Rayla."

Her eyes widened at that. _My birthday! Today is my birthday!_ She turned around as Callum let go of her and presented her with a small box. She stared at him. "That's for me?”

Callum laughed. "For who else could it be? Just open it sweet little elf!"

That one made Rayla laugh. "I'm not little, I'm taller than you! Even without the heels!"

"Horns don't count." Callum replied curtly.

Rayla just laughed. "Yes they do." But she was no longer looking at her boyfriend, instead opening the package he had given her. She carefully removed the silk cloth wrapped around the box. It was a smooth, dark, wooden box. It read ' van Dam Jewellery and Tinkering'. She pressed her lips together. She wasn't one for jewellery most of the time, so she was curious what Callum had bought for her. She hoped that she could appreciate it. As she opened it, she saw it was a slender silver necklace. On it hung a round medallion the size of a large coin. However, it wasn't smooth, polished silver. It was rough, with an uneven and asymmetrical texture on it. It wasn't unpleasant to look at, but odd. However, it was familiar to her. Suddenly, she realized what she was looking at. "It's the moon!"

Callum smiled at her. "Yes! I hoped you would notice! You can open the medallion by the way."

" Oh, really?" She pressed her nails between the two parts and carefully pressed them open. Inside, she saw two pictures. One was a sketch of her face in black and white. The other was the painted picture of a much younger Callum. He had a much rounder face with puffy cheeks, and an expression that told her he didn't really want to be painted.

She snorted as she saw his picture. "That's you?"

Callum groaned. "Look, it's the only painted picture of me I could get my hands on so soon. I was lucky enough for Ezran to carry it with him, and yours is just a quick sketch I've done."

 _Just a quick sketch…._ She mused as she looked at her likeness. It was rough, sure, but it looked just like her!

"Anyway, I hope to get a small painting done of the both of us soon, so that you have something to look at while I'm away for my studies."

Rayla smiled as she put the box on a nearby table and embraced him. "Oh Callum…" She kissed him, then held out the medallion. "Will you put it on?"

"Put it on? It's not supposed to go on m- oh right!" He swallowed his embarrassment as he had mistook her meaning. She had turned around for him and he put the necklace around her neck. Just as they turned around and stared at each other lovingly, a bell sounded through the hall.

"Ladies and gentlemen, queen Aanya, ruler of Duren!" The man who announced her stepped of the dais, as the queen ascended the raised platform. Behind her was king Aureum Umbra together with the elf delegates. He was too big to fit in the ballroom, but with all the windows open it still felt like he was very much a part of the proceedings.

"Ladies and gentlemen, lords and ladies. It is my pleasure to welcome you to our festivities. This ball has many reasons. First and foremost, we are here to celebrate the peace between Duren and Xadia, for the first time in a thousand years!"

The crowd applauded and cheered. It was indeed a good reason to celebrate.

" We thank king Aureum Umbra for his wisdom and his presence, and hope that the peace between our nations will blossom and bear fruit to us all!" She grabbed her cup, and everyone in the room did the same as she raised hers. "To peace!"

"To peace!" Everyone in the room toasted. King Aureum Umbra simply nodded his head. His claw was holding a barrel of wine awkwardly. The servants didn't know what else to give the dragon, and the dragon had found it too awkward to refuse.

"Second of all, the unrest that was present in Calatheas has finally been resolved. The Crown recognizes that while the cult known as the True Light was using illegal magic for its activities, it was also helping the populace." The crowd mumbled at that. Opinions were still divided. "To make up for the loss of the temple of healing, the king of Xadia has agreed to send two of his earthblood elf healers to our capital to help us out!" Now the crowd was excited, including Callum. But the queen wasn't finished. "As part of this exchange, one of us humans will journey to Xadia to learn all he can about primal magic, to ensure that while we will no longer rely on old practices. This way we will still enjoy the bounty of magic."

"Prince Callum, please step forward." King Aureum Umbra spoke. His voice rumbled through the ballroom. Many trembled as they heard his voice speak so loudly, and those close to Callum quickly moved away from him. Callum gulped and took a few steps forward until he was in the middle of the ballroom.

"Prince Callum, you have shown to be pure of heart, and true of intent. You are a friend of Xadia, and an honorable prince to the kingdom of Katolis. Therefore, we grant you access to our arcanum temples. You will be given a mentor. May your studies prove useful to your people."

Callum was astonished. He was elated, he was thrilled! _I get to learn more magic!_ He nearly let out a shout, but could contain himself. He quickly regained his composure, and bowed before the king. "Thank you king Aureum Umbra."

The king grunted approvingly. "We will take you back with us when we leave tomorrow. Be prepared that you will be separated from your people for several years, before your studies are finished. Make sure to bring as little as possible, for you will travel often."

Now Callum froze _. Separated for several years!?_ He had expected to be away for some time, but this made it all very real. Queen Aanya seemed alarmed as well by the announcement, but she forced a smile.

"Splendid. I'm sure the details will be discussed in private."

The dragon king gave her an annoyed glance, but gave no reply. Before the rest of the crowd could return to the festivities, the queen continued.

"There is one last announcement to make. We have a very special guest among us. She is the captain of the dragonguard, and the saviour of the dragon prince Azymondias!" Rayla looked shocked as everyone present suddenly focussed on her. _What did I do!?_ She looked at Callum for help, but he just watched her with a stupid grin on his face.

"And on top of it all, ladies and gentlemen, it's her birthday! So this party is in honour of her as well!"

Just as she finished her speech, a choir began to sing an old Durian song about the best wishes for the next year of her life, that all her wishes may come true, and that all her days may be blessed. People from all around her joined in, slowly clapping to the beat of the melody. Rayla was astonished and was blushing heavily. She wasn’t used to this kind of attention. When the song was done, the crowd approached her to congratulate her and compliment her on her outfit. Gifts were hastily put together, small sacks of coins and disposable pieces of jewellery were given by the nobles who wished to impress the stunning young elf, as well as promises of riches and power, should she ever come to visit. Callum watched with a bemused smile. After a while he felt himself get a bit jealous and felt it was time to reclaim his girlfriend for his own on this party.

He pressed himself through the crowd to get to his girlfriend, who was looking around nervously, trying to process all the attention she was getting. _Honestly, she looks out of her element_ , Callum thought. He quickly grabbed her hand and spun her his way, pressing his lips to hers.

"Shall we get out of here?" he whispered.

Her eyes were filled with gratitude. "Please!"

They waved goodbye to the crowd behind them as attendants quickly swiped the pile of presents on a plate and carried it away before anyone could think of stealing them.

"Wheh, that was wild!" Rayla exclaimed as they ran outside. A balcony encircled a large part of the ballroom, the open windows providing access to the same large balcony. The fresh air did wonders for her mood, Rayla felt. She looked at Callum suspiciously. "You arranged all this!"

"What, me?" He said, faking to be shocked by her accusation. She just shoved him playfully.

"You knew about my birthday, just you!"

He grinned back at her. "I had a little talk with queen Aanya. She readily agreed to make the party a bit about you as well."

Rayla smiled and hugged him. "Thanks Callum. This is the best birthday ever!"

She skipped forward, and twirled around a bit in her dress. Callum let her, just enjoying the view.

"All the people here are so nice! It's a wonder they were so accepting of me as an elf!"

Callum grimaced at that and felt the need to clarify. "I suppose some are nice, hopefully most. Just remember Rayla; they are nobles. You have just been given the honour of the ball. Congratulating you wasn't as much about being friendly as enhancing one's own standing. They now get to brag about how they talked with you and what gifts they gave you. To some of them, you are nothing but a status symbol."

Rayla looked back at him, both shocked and disgusted. "Ugh! I hate politics."

Callum nodded. "Yeah, so do I. Still though, you got a party, you got a choir, you got presents." He suddenly grabbed her from behind and kissed her on the cheek. "And you have me."

She smiled at him as she leaned backwards and kissed him on the mouth. "And you have me."

They walked the balcony in silence, just enjoying the party and the atmosphere from a distance, occasionally commenting on the outfits of others. Then Callums gaze was drawn to a lone figure. It was a young man, wearing simple brown garb, with long black hair bound in a ponytail. He was staring off into the distance, apparently lost in thought. On his hip, he was carrying some kind of longsword. An oddity, since very few people had permission to carry arms on an occasion such as this.

He nudged Rayla. "Hey, that's the guy I told you about."

"What? Who?"

Callum pointed to the man. "The guy over there! He's the one who helped me to take apart Viren's study. Hey Belt!" Callum shouted, and the man turned, revealing his face.

When Rayla saw the man, her heart started pounding. She had her suspicions when she saw the figure with the blade. But as the man turned, fury overtook her as she recognized his face.

"You!" She shouted and rushed towards the man, dragging Callum with her. "What are you doing here!?"

Callum didn't understand where the hostility was coming from and tried to calm her down. "Hey! Rayla, calm down!" For all he knew, she had never seen him before.

The man regarded the pair for a moment. "I'm doing my job, Rayla, same as you. Hi Callum." He nodded in his direction. Callum was now thoroughly confused. They knew each other!?

"What's going on here?" Callum asked hesitantly.

"That is the bastard that stabbed me." Rayla spat, gesturing at her stomach.

"What!? How!? That's impossible! He was in Katolis!" But Callum's gut told him that something was wrong here. Belt made no move to deny the claim.

"Rayla, Belt, what is going on?" Callum was on guard now. He had grabbed his girlfriend's hand, ready to run if they needed to.

Belt looked at their hands with a bemused smile at his face. "Alright then. Let me introduce myself." He stepped forward and loosened his ponytail, his black hair falling across his shoulders. "My name is Belthasar Zeron. For the past month, I've acted as an agent on Xadia's behalf. They asked me to watch you, see where your allegiances lie." He held his hands to his sides, palms open. Callum couldn't decide whether this was a gesture of peace, or whether he was reading himself for combat. The explanation didn’t satisfy Rayla in any case.

"Watching you say? It was torture to me! Did you give me those bad dreams!?"

Belthasar didn't deny it. "Yes."

Rayla was frustrated. She desperately wished her swords were at her sides so that she could give him what he deserved, though she doubted that she could fight well in this dress.

Belthasar sighed. "I… must apologize. To the both of you. Callum, though I didn't lie to you, I wasn't completely honest either. While I was with you, it was my job to determine if you would really get rid of dark magic as you told the king. You did. That's why I convinced the king of your good intentions, and to be allowed to study in Xadia. For Rayla, I had to find out whether you would choose Callum above those whom you are sworn to protect.”

Now the truth fully clicked in both Rayla and Callum's minds. "The black dragon!? That was you!?" Callum exclaimed. Rayla thought back of the dark dragon shadow in her nightmares. She couldn't put to words the disgust and anger she felt for this creature.

Belthasar nodded again. "Yes. I am that black dragon. It's no big secret anymore, though how your king deduced it is a mystery to me."

Callum was confused by this remark. He had wondered about the visions Ezran described to him. He figured that must be it.

"But why the nightmares!?" Rayla shouted, drawing the attention of the people around them. "Why not a little visit, or a nice talk? You tortured me!"

Belthasar stepped forward, closing the distance between them, apparently also conscious to the attention that they were drawing. Rayla took a step backwards instinctively. Callum pressed her close to him, willing to defend her, hoping it wouldn't come to that.

Belthasar looked at her pensively. "I'm not sorry for what I did, only that I had to do it. I thought that dreams were the best way to make sure to see if you would choose Callum above the interests of Xadia. I knew they were hard on you. The king has already given me a piece of his mind about that."

Rayla was surprised at that. She thought the king was behind this as well, but apparently, he really did care for the health of his captain. Still, she couldn't just push this aside, nor would she accept his apology. "Whatever. So, did you find out what you needed to?"

Belthasar snorted. "Honestly? No. You are a tough fighter Rayla, and you have a heart of gold. But I hope you will never have to choose between the things you love. That won't end well for anyone."

He looked up, eying the stars, then looked back at the pair. The prince looked confused at the revelation. The captain was still hurt by the memories he had given her. "Right, I think I outstayed my welcome here. My duty to Xadia is finished anyway, so I won't trouble you any longer." He turned to leave, but Rayla grabbed him by his arm, causing Belthasar to give her a very cold look. This didn't put her off however.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Belthasar shrugged her off. "It means that the king now has to pay up for all the favours I've done him. After that, I'm going home." He turned and walked off.

"Hey Belt!" Callum shouted after him. He saw the figure hesitate for a second, before turning his head halfway.

"Yeah?"

"How do you turn into a dragon?"

Belthasar laughed, while Rayla groaned inwardly. _Of course that's the part of all this that was most interesting to Callum_. Belthasar sounded amused. "I'm sure you'll figure it out." was the only reply.

Callum watched with amazement as the figure walked on and just seemed to fade from view, leaving no trace behind him.

His head was already racing to solve the puzzle. "I figure illusion magic has something to do with it…" he mumbled until Rayla touched his shoulder. He saw her pained expression and remembered that the person he thought of as maybe a friend was also the person that stabbed her through the stomach. "Rayla, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

She took a deep breath. "Honestly? Mostly annoyed. We're not in any danger, and if that scunner really leaves me alone, I'll probably get my good nights' sleep back. I'm just sad we had this confrontation on my birthday."

Callum didn't say anything. He just pulled her close and kissed her on her forehead. He did have to stand on his toes to do that though. She noticed this and giggled. He pouted at that.

"You're so tall now!"

"I'm always taller, my small human." She said teasingly. She felt a soft warm glow returning to her innards. She was glad that the confrontation had not ruined the mood for the rest of the evening. That reminded her of her talk with queen Aanya.

"Callum, this was a wonderful birthday gift. But I've missed your birthday, so…"

Callum cut her off. "You don't have to give me anything Rayla. Just being you is good enough for me."

Rayla smiled. _Such a romantic!_ "Don't cut me off like that! Though I do like what you say. The point is, I also have something for you!"

"Oh?" Callum was surprised. He wondered what it could be.

She grinned wickedly. "Follow me!"

-/-/-/-

Rayla dragged Callum down the halls of the Palace. Her quick and easy steps led them on a quick pace away from the party. The moon was almost full, and every time they passed a window Callum could swear he saw her form glimmer a little. Her heels did wonders for the way she walked and Callum, who she was dragging behind her, felt it hard to keep his eyes from her hips as the fabric of her silk dressed moved around her form. Callum felt his heartbeat quicken, but tried to kid himself that his was not from what he was seeing in front of him. _Nope, this is definitely a normal reaction when you are jogging through a corridor._ He thought _. Yup, just a normal stroll down through the palace. Nothing to see here!_

Rayla led him into a large room and let go of his hands. The room was dark. He saw a large four-poster bed, a mirror, some cabinets, and to the right he saw an open door leading to a balcony with light outside. Rayla stood in the centre of the room looking at him. Callum detected uncertainty in the way she stood. He suddenly became very self-conscious. "So, eehhh…" he stammered while scratching the back of his head _. This seemed awfully familiar._ "Is this an open-door situation, or should I…"

Rayla smiled at him nervously. "Just close the door Callum."

Callum coughed. "Right." He closed the door quickly and then carefully made his way to Rayla. _She is up to something._ He didn't know what, and he trusted her implicitly but damnit he was nervous.

Rayla took his hands and looked to their feet, unsure of what to say. "Callum…" she started. "You know… how you will be gone a long, long time for your studies, right?"

Callum sighed. Did she really have to bring this up? Like, tonight? Really? "Rayla…" he started, wanting to object to this line of conversation.

She noticed his tone of voice immediately. "No, Callum. Please." She led go of his hands and put them on his chest softly. She wanted to touch him, she didn't want to push him away. "I know… you'll be gone for a very long time and I know that this will be difficult for you…me… us…" She looked him in the eyes now. Callum saw her eyes glistering and wondered if she would start to cry. He put his hands on her hips. "So, I wanna do something that you'll remember… well…" She looked away sheepishly. "It's kind of a silly idea now that I think of it." She pulled away from him.

Callum was confused. "Rayla, what are you saying?"

Rayla started pacing around in the empty room. "Well, I wanted to do something so you wouldn't forget me!" She was agitated. She wasn't sure what she wanted anymore, or whether this was a good idea.

"Well, I won't forget you!" Callum rallied. "I mean… just look at you!" He held out both of his hands, as if presenting her to a crowd of onlookers.

"Wha…?" She looked at him, and then saw that he was looking at something behind her. She turned around and saw herself standing in the mirror's reflection. Her silk dress clung to her figure, her white and silver half-cape covering her top half. She looked back in her own eyes as she listened to Callum.

"I see a strong and beautiful and passionate elf who's always stood up for what she believed in! You're kind, likable, and confident too! Remember everything I said to you in the midnight desert?" Rayla nodded. A smile played upon her lips. She remembered those moments fondly, even if it was a little awkward when she mistook his praise for something else. She blushed at those memories.

Then she felt his hands on her shoulder, felt his breath in her neck. It was somewhat ragged.

The moment Callum touched her in this dark and quiet room he became very aware of the fact that she was wearing a very thin silk dress, but he tried to suppress any other thoughts and feelings, instead focussing on what he was saying to his elf. "All I'm saying is, I won't forget you… ever! Unless, you know, I get hit by some kind of forgetting spell. Boom! Everything gone! Can't do anything about that!" He said that last part cheerily as he stepped away from her.

Rayla laughed a little. It was a stupid remark since it almost happened two days ago, but Callum was clearly trying to defuse the tension and she realised; he was as nervous as she was. She made up her mind. This is what I want for him. _For… my Callum._

She stepped towards him, again crossing the distance between them. Callum looked alarmed. "Eeh…." was all he could manage.

"Callum, that was very sweet of you." She kissed him. She heard him breath in sharply as they made out but felt his muscles relax, eventually. Then she broke away and looked him in the eyes as innocently as she could manage. She did a decent job at that. "But you still haven't heard what my birthday gift for you was. Aren't you curious?"

Callum had to admit that he was very curious and he was very aware of the fact that she was so close to him and he couldn't quite get his thoughts or body under control and oh were his pants getting tighter?

Rayla took his silence as a yes. "I know you like sketching so much, and I know you've done a wonderful job at learning to paint, judging by our last painting session.” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Oh. Oh that? Well, you know, it's just another hobby!" Callum was feeling very awkward all of a sudden. Why was she complimenting him on his new hobby? He wasn't that good anyway! Though he had to admit that learning to paint was a lot easier than learning magic, and he was quite gifted at the latter, or so he thought.

Rayla giggled. "Come."

She took his hand and let him outside, much to Callum's relief. He almost thought she would lead him to the large bed in the corner, a thought that both excited and terrified him. When they went onto the balcony though he wasn't prepared for what was set up for him. The moon shone softly down upon them. The rest of the balcony was lit by a pair of torches set against the wall. It overlooked the garden behind the palace. In the middle of the balcony was a sofa made of dark oak and red velvet with a couple of pillows strewn around. And in front of that an easel with next to it a barstool and a small table stacked with paints, brushes and other supplies.

"Rayla, what…?" He looked at her as she walked to the sofa and sat down. She was blushing heavily as she loosened the cape and let it fall. It revealed her bare shoulders and the way the top of the dress clung to her chest. A deep V line divided the dress until just below her chest, showing ample skin. She was not so flat chested anymore now that she wasn't wearing her chest wrappings, her bosom filling out the dress nicely. It also showed that Rayla was maturing, both physically and mentally as she displayed herself to him, blushing but unafraid.

The moonlight lit her up perfectly. Callum gasped for air. He felt like he just witnessed to birth of an angel.

"Well?" Rayla asked, her voice slightly wavering.

Callum gulped. "You want me to…?"

Rayla nodded. "Paint me, sweet Callum."

He took a moment to observe her, to capture this image of this elf, his elf, sitting there on the sofa, dressed in the most exotic looking dress he had ever seen. He realized she had already given him a wonderful memory. He would never forget how heavenly she looked right now.

He took a deep breath, and got to work. He had no knowledge of how to be romantic, or how to be confident with girls. He loved Rayla, he knew that much, and he knew how to make her smile. But this situation was new to him and he felt like a fish out of water.

But he knew drawing and painting and as he grabbed a piece of charcoal to start sketching, he felt his confidence returning. His hand was quick and his eyes were focussed. Soon he was completely in his element. Rayla admired how confident and professional Callum worked behind the canvas. The only sounds that could be heard were the crickets in the garden below them and the swishing of charcoal on canvas. It wasn't long before Callum was done and put down the charcoal. He looked at her from behind the canvas.

"Are you comfortable?"

She smiled at him. "Yeah, the sofa's soft. I'm good for a while yet." She blushed. She was comfortable and excited. Her mind started to wander and she figured that the thin silk dress would probably do a poor job at hiding her thoughts _. Och, not now! What must Callum think of me?_ But deep down inside, she knew what he probably was thinking, if not now then at other times. He was a boy after all _. No._ She corrected herself. _He's a man._ Even though he still had a boyish manner to his doing, he had proven time and time again that he was more responsible, courageous and open-minded than many adults she had met in her life.

"Great! I'm going to start painting now. Sit tight!"

She looked as Callum grabbed paints and put them on his painting tray. He grabbed a rather large brush and was soon swishing away at the canvas. "I wonder if he's nervous right now…" she whispered to herself.

But Callum was completely in tune with himself as he worked on the painting. Long before he started practicing magic, he was already drawing sketches. It was a skill that he had perfected long ago. Painting just added another layer to those skills. He enjoyed it. He enjoyed the thrill of creating something on paper or canvas. Something that was truly his own. He liked to shape reality and in many ways this was why magic appealed to him as well.

The moon rose higher in the sky as the time passed. The torches dimmed, but the moon shone brighter and brighter. Before long, Rayla was completely illuminated by the soft light of the moon. Callum's hands deftly moved across the canvas putting paint in just the right places. He was silent as he worked. Sometimes he would look Rayla in the eyes and she would acknowledge him with a wink or a grin, but otherwise he was focussed on the task. He did not give her any instruction on how to sit or look and that made her feel slightly insecure. But she trusted him to direct her if needed, so she just put her chin up and tried to relax.

Rayla found herself reach a state of utter calm. The rhythm of the sound of Callum's brush touching the canvas was soothing. Her thoughts turned skywards, to the moon. She wondered if Callum would ever connect to the moon arcanum, and wondered if he could disappear with her. _It would be fun to try and experiment with that. Oh, the tricks the both of us could pull of if no one could see us…_ Again, her thoughts betrayed her and she started to think of all the other advantageous of not being seen by others. A blush crept up her face. She saw Callum looking at her with a pained expression, then back at the canvas, then back at her again. "Are you alright?" She finally asked.

"Y-yeah… just…you know…." He stammered, looking at her while his face became red. "Just making sure I get the details right."

Rayla bit her lip. She was very curious to the end result, but she knew that painting her would take a long time. Her calm was starting to disappear though. Small cramps from staying in a single position too long took its place. A chill could also be felt, and the dress was a fair bit skimpier and thinner than any robes or armour she usually wore. "Callum?"

Callum's head poked up from the side of the canvas. "Yes?"

"Don't mean to rush you, but it's getting a wee bit chilly here."

"Ah!" Callum looked at her, then took a step back to look at his progress. "Well, the centre is mostly done. The rest I can fill from memory, so I guess you can stop posing."

Rayla smiled as she reached down and grabbed the discarded cape. It was a thin piece of fabric, mostly decorative, but it was better than nothing. She put it across her shoulders and moved to stand beside Callum, who quickly put an arm around her waist.

"Well, what do you think?"

Rayla gasped and put her hand in front of her mouth. Before her was a life-sized portrait of her. But it was very different from how she had seen her reflection in the mirror. Somehow Callum had captured her essence perfectly. She was trying to find a word to describe herself as painted on the canvas. _Regal? No… more like… passionate? Seductive even?_ She blushed as she noticed that on the painting at least her dress indeed left little to the imagination. The swell of her bosom could clearly be seen, as could other things that she had perhaps not wanted to show so willingly. Her head turned beat red. She quickly wrapped one arm around her chest as she turned to Callum in shock.

Callum meanwhile became alarmed at her reaction. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I shouldn't… I mean… That's just what I saw! I thought you wanted me to…" He was blushing furiously and tried to look at everything but her face or her bosom.

Rayla contemplated his reaction for only a moment. "Callum…" She whispered, her voice a bit hoarse. Her hands found his as she stepped closer to him.

He turned to face her, just as her lips met his. They kissed, their passion quickly growing. Rayla broke off for a second to catch her breath, her eyes still closed, before placing a hand on his hip, the other on his chest and resuming their kiss. Callum held her chastely, but as he felt her hand roaming his chest, rubbing over the sturdy fabric of his vest, he, very carefully, moved his hand upward. He suddenly felt the transition from silk to skin as his hand reached just below her ribs. His breath quickened and he had to pull away from her as breathing through his nose wasn't sufficient. His body was responding heavily to what his senses were telling him. Her breath on his lips, her soft flowery scent through his nose, her soft skin underneath his touch.

Rayla, meanwhile, pulled his body closer to hers. A shock ran through them both as their bodies touched. Callum felt Rayla tense as it happened, and her caressing his chest became more urgent. Primal instincts were taking over as his hand roamed up more boldly, back over her dress but underneath her cape. As they were kissing, Rayla gasped as she felt him gently sliding his hand over her barely covered chest. She broke off the kiss and put her forehead against his, eyes closed, breathing heavily. Her hand was clutching his vest now as she focused on his ministrations.

"Stop." Rayla whispered, barely audible. Callum felt his hands slowly coming to a stop, his brain struggling to catch up with the command it had just been given, his instincts doing everything to keep him going. Callum opened his eyes, their foreheads still pressed together as they still clung to each other desperately. She looked back at him. Her pupils had become enormous and Callum was reminded of the moon up in the sky. "If we… Callum, if we keep this up…"

"We'll… probably end up… doing _that_ …" he finished.

Rayla didn't respond, but eyed him with intensity, a glimmer of fear in her eyes.

"Too soon?" He asked at length. He saw relief wash over her face, glad that he understood.

"Too soon."

Their breathing slowed. Callum had moved his hands away from certain sensitive body parts and Rayla had done the same. They now just held each other. At long last they parted and just held hands, stretching the moment and the contact they had just a little bit more.

"That was…intense." Rayla said, still out of breath. Her hair was more ragged somehow, even though neither of them touched it. She pulled her cape close around her as she felt the cold now without Callum's embrace.

"Yeah…" Callum breathed. He took off his scarf and put it around Rayla, who accepted the extra layer of clothing gratefully. He had a pained look on his face, a fact which Rayla noticed.

"What is wrong?"

He felt the blush on his face getting worse as he thought on whether to reply. Well, after all that… "Pants… tight." Was all he could manage.

"Oh… Oh!" Rayla said, realizing the implication. "Right, I should have figured that. I mean. Uhm…" This was awkward for the both of them, but Callum smiled at her apologetically, causing her to smile as well. Eventually they were both laughing, relieving the tension.

Rayla turned to the painting. It was beautiful, but it wasn't finished. Only the centre bit of her face and chest was fully coloured. The rest was sketched, with broad strokes of paint here and there. "It's beautiful Callum." She said.

Callum smiled, glad for the change of topic. "Well, I did have a gorgeous elf posing for me." He said with a wink. "I think it will be a wonderful painting, if I ever get around to finishing it."

Rayla blinked and looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I can't take it with me now can I?" he replied while facing the painting. "It's too big to fit in a bag. And rolling up the canvas now would ruin the painting."

Rayla stared at Calllum, then back at the painting. _Gods, I must be dafter than a toad on a jelly-tard high!_

"I suppose I could make a miniature sketch of it in my sketch book." Callum mused, while reaching for said sketchbook.

Rayla just shook her head at her obvious oversight. _Well,_ she thought _, at least this was a night we both surely won't forget._ And so she was content to watch with a smile on her face as her sweet prince sketched her likelihood into his sketchbook.

-/-/-/-

Dust and darkness had settled in the cavern. Viren stood up gingerly. He still held the sunstaff in his hand. He willed it to glow a bit brighter. There, in front of him, was the emperor reigar. Dead. A giant hole in its stomach. Viren found he couldn't care less. _Where is Claudia!? Where is my daughter!?_ He searched around frantically, and finally found her crumpled against the back cavern wall, apparently flung a lot farther than him in the explosion he caused.

He kneeled next to her. "Claudia, are you alright?"

Claudia groaned. "Ugh, what happened?" She looked around. "Did we… did we beat it? Gods, did I bump my head or what?" She looked confused at her dad. "I-I… I can't remember what happened."

"You were charmed." Came the stern reply form the darkness, from which the creature that was Aaravos emerged. Its form was charred at places, one if its wings was missing.

Claudia was startled by the sight. "Aaravos! Your-"

"It will grow back." It simply said. Aaravos moved towards the trio and regarded the giant dead creature. "You did well. We now have hundreds of feathers, for thousands of uses. Think of everything we can accomplish with illusion and charm!" Now Aaravos sounded honestly excited.

Viren nodded, his face still grim. "It was close though. Too close." Claudia said nothing, but inwardly, she agreed with her dad.

"You are right Viren. That is why we need more power. And we can use these feathers as tools to further our goals."

"Yes, about that Aaravos." He put an emphasis on the creatures name to mock him. "What are our goals? What are your goals?"

Aaravos moved towards Viren. "Our goal should be the empowerment of humanity and the destruction of the threat that is Xadia. My goal… I'll reveal in due time."

"That's not good enough." Said Viren in a warning tone. The sun staff began to pulse with power.

The creature eyed the staff for a moment, but didn't seem put off by the implied threat. "All you need to know is that our goals are generally aligned. Otherwise, I wouldn't help you."

Viren was frustrated. "Right, I gather you probably want to escape your prison, maybe even dominate Xadia. I don't care about that. In fact, with the followers we have in the villages of Neolandia, we are already pretty powerful!" He gestured to his surroundings and to the dead beast behind them. "Why are we in this cave? Why did you risk our lives to kill this creature!?"

Claudia had never seen her father so worked up before, but she had to admit he had a point. Aaravos had put them on a wild goose chase from one point to another with little to show for it. Sure, they all agreed to come, but everything they'd done so far had a certain risk attached to it. Challenging this beast had been needlessly risky. "Yeah Aaravos. Why did we have to kill this thing?" Claudia now said, challenging the damaged and burned up creature.

Aaravos didn't seem shaken by their doubt, and his voice was sweet as he spoke. "Because now we have all the tools we need to create the Heart of a Dragon."


End file.
